Mahou Sensei Kain! Act 13!
by Chris-Sasami-Bunny
Summary: So, the Tournament has begun! Will Kain(Kalan) be able to win against such strong enemies? find out in this exciting installment of MSKain!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Prologue

Alyssa sipped from her tea cup, but despite her refined action there was a look of boredom in her eyes. She sighed as she set the cup down and leaned across the table. The only students from Class 3-A who stayed behind while the rest went to America—Alyssa, Miyu, Caria, and Yuki—all sat around this table outside in the 'streets' of Mahora, by a small park not far from Alyssa's cottage.

"Alyssa- _sama_?" queried Miyu in surprise.

"It's just a summer vacation like any other…me, stuck here at this school while the rest of the idiots are gone, but I just can't seem to enjoy the peace and quiet…."

"Ah!" Caria said brightly. "It seems you're bored because Kain- _sensei_ and the rest are gone, right? You must have had a lot of fun with them over the early summer…."

"That's not it!" Alyssa contested hotly, red-faced, and, as it turns out, futily.

"But Alyssa- _sama_ always used to mutter about how she was looking forward to those training sessions…" Miyu began.

"You shut up!" Alyssa sighed again, her wrath dissolving quickly. "Well, it was certainly something different, a major change from the drab, endless days of school with empty-headed girls I've been subjected to for the last fifteen years. Of course, what makes it even more boring is the distinct lack of Sanada Sakura. She made things rather interesting herself during her time here, from both her strengths and her foibles. Even little sessions of tea ceremony became interesting, because she loved to fully embrace that quiet, reserved aspect of Japanese culture, and at the same time she rejected all the traditional kinds of tea and only would drink her 'kosher' versions. She was a master at strategy games…she was obviously far too brilliant for a school like this, but nobody seemed to catch on. Every day with her was fascinating, wondering what she would do, what she was intending, and never able to figure it out." She chuckled. "Having her around was always interesting.

"But now all we have here at all is you three," Alyssa continued, her voice turning to complaining as she swept in the other three girls with a condescending tone. "The three least cute and most unremarkable girls in our whole class. Kain and Sakura aside, there's nothing to do but be bored if you three are all we have…maybe I could turn you into dress-up dolls…."

"That seems a little extreme, Alyssa- _chan_. I hope that there's _something_ more to catch your interest."

Alyssa turned and glanced back at the approaching figure. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You…Higurashi Eishun. Well, it's certainly been a long time…just what are _you_ doing here? Your precious daughter isn't around right now…."

"Yes, I'm aware," Eishun replied easily. "I think that's part of the reason why I was asked to return."

"Hmm? What's that about?"

"Oh!" Caria said suddenly. "This must be because of, ah, the Gateports all not working, right?"

Alyssa turned slowly to stare at Caria. "What?" she demanded.

"A-ah, w-well," Caria began, blanching under Alyssa's deadly stare, "I heard something about it in the news, and my parents mentioned in their letters…sometime during the trip, it seems all the Gateports to Arcanus Myrror stopped working. I think Kain- _sensei_ and the rest of them must be trapped on that side right now…."

"Oh…is that so?" Alyssa sipped her tea again, seemingly losing interest. "That's interesting…does that mean the remnants of the 'Obsidian Star' are getting ready to make their play?"

"So it would seem," Eishun agreed easily. "Word came down that suspicious individuals were seen near the Gates around the time Kain- _kun_ and the rest were due to touch down in America. I contributed two of my own mages to join a task force to head through the gate at Sendai and find out anything they could, and, if need be, rescue the White Wings and return them home. Shortly after they passed through, the Gate fell silent. Takamichi- _kun_ was among them…."

"Well, that would explain where _he's_ gone, although he hasn't been around at all lately to begin with," Alyssa murmured. "It seems Kain is going to get all that he wanted…and more." She chuckled slightly. "It will be interesting to see what happens if he manages to get out of this."

"You really seem to have an interesting relationship with his son," Eishun chuckled back. "Well, I've heard some things, so I have a favor to ask, Alyssa- _chan_ …before I see my father, could you show me to where Jynx is hiding?"

8-8-8

Allen Black was up on one of his balconies, having just finished a meal, when he was hailed from behind. He turned and stared at the approaching figure in the doorway. "Eishun!" he declared, rising as the man strode forward to meet him. They embraced for a moment, and then Jynx leaned back with a laugh. "Look at you! You old man, now a refined and subdued political mage, from what I hear. Your daughter's doing quite well, though…I was pretty amazed by how she's turned out. But what brings you out here to Mahora? No, don't tell me…the business with the Gates, right?"

"So well-informed!" Alyssa murmured, coming up from behind. "I thought you didn't get much from your little ivory tower here."

"Well, yes and no," Jynx chuckled. "This may be cut off, but it's also tied in to the…flow of magic, I guess you could say, between the two worlds. I can tell that all the normal passages have been severed. And, more than that…this has caused a distortion between the two worlds, and they are now temporally out of sync."

"Ah?" Eishun raised an eyebrow. "You mean…a time lapse? On which side?"

"Specifically, Arcanus Myrror is flowing at a greatly accelerated rate," Jynx elucidated. "A week's gone by since Kain and the rest must have passed through, but for them, it's likely been over three months. They've been stuck there all this time…and we can only guess at what they've gotten into." Jynx shook his head. "We haven't seen each other in all this time…and it's because of something like this. I wish we had better news to catch up on…."

"No, it's fine. There's a lot I'd love to hear from you, Jynx, but if what you say is true, we might have the time for that after all…likely all we can do is wait for something to happen on the other side. But first, if you tell me everything you know, I can share that with Father and the rest of the council here and we can figure out what we _can_ do…."

8-8-8

Across the big pond, in America, there were four other students gathered together and lamenting their boredom…in various ways.

"Ah, what is with this?" Kanade whined. "It's been a week…how could they all have disappeared like this!? Did they really get lost in the mountains!? Are they really all right!?"

"Oh, stop whining, Kanade- _chan_ ," Matake sighed. "Just because you're upset that you slept in when you wanted to try following along with everyone else…."

"How could they!?" Risa interrupted. "Even Riku, my own sister, just up and abandoned me! Bad enough that Kain- _sensei_ and everyone decided to sneak off and ditch us, but even Riku and the rest just left us behind…."

As Matake sighed, Rakasu suddenly put in brightly, "Does anyone want some of these cookies with their tea?"

"C'mon, Rakasu- _chan_!" Kanade pleaded. "Aren't you at all put out by this!? We were supposed to go on this trip together…!"

"Kain- _sensei_ 's club came here on their own for their own reasons," Rakasu replied evenly. "We were never supposed to be involved in the first place. Like it or not, sometimes people have their own reasons for things. None of us should have been intruding on him in the first place."

"Well, what about those who took off after them?" Matake ventured. "Should they have been sent back to us by now, or something? Truth be told, more than anything, I'm worried about Kazumi and Yukari…."

"There's nothing much we can do about them right now," Rakasu replied. "So let's just relax and have tea, shall we? I'm sure we'll hear word before too long…."

"But, it really makes you wonder what happened to them," Kanade muttered, swiftly switching mental gears. "Maybe…they were abducted! By a UFO! And now they've been taken aboard their mothership, where they've been plugged into a VR system and are locked in an alternate reality where they think they're exploring a magical city…!"

"Yes, yes," her sister, Haruna, sighed as she arrived bearing more tea and cookies on a tray. "That's enough, _Onee-chan_ …."

"Ah, Hina- _chan_! But…."

Suddenly Rakasu's cell phone went off. "Hmm?" She answered it. " _Moshi-moshi_. Ah, Yuki- _chan_? How good to hear from you! What's going on back at Mahora? Ah, Alyssa- _chan_ did? That's so funny! Oh, is that so? Hmm. And? Really? Well, well…then I guess we'll have to clean things up and head home. All right, then. Thank you for calling, Yuki- _chan_. We'll see you soon!" And she hung up.

The assembled four were staring at her. "Was that…really Yuki- _chan_?" Risa demanded in shock. "I…can't even imagine what the other side of that conversation sounded like…."

"What was she talking about?" Kanade pressed. "It sounded like you were saying we were leaving!"

"We are, we are," Rakasu assured her. "We need to pack and head back to Japan. When we see Kain- _sensei_ and the rest again, it'll be at Mahora Academy."

"H-hey!" Matake cried. "What are you talking about!? What are you…we can't just leave everyone here, can we!?"

"There's no point in staying here," Rakasu insisted. "We won't see them until we're all in Japan."

"But that's no explanation! Hey! Rakasu- _chan_! Explain what's going on…!"

F I N

 _Author's Note: A Snapshot_

 _With most of the group gathered together now in Arcanus Myrror, these usual 'showing the action somewhere else' Prologues won't work much anymore. So for now I gave a brief shot of the situations in the 'normal' world, as they deal with this 'week' of silence…what it is for them._

 _Both of these scenes were adapted from little snapshots in the Negima story, as Eva tried to relieve her boredom back at Mahora by dressing up the boring and 'uncute' Chachamaru sisters, Satsuki, Hakase, and Zazie. Then, while the rest of them in Wales were wondering what happened, our not-so-beloved_ iinchô _suddenly got a call from the equally-unexpressive Zazie, and the twins and cheerleaders present wondered just as my girls did about how the totally silent character managed that kind of conversation with their president…._

 _Now, after all that flashback stuff, let's move on to the current story, starting with some hijinx…._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter One: Eye of the Tiger

"This is a nice place, Emi- _kun_ ," Kinue remarked with her usual cheerfulness. They were located in a large manor near one of the edges of the flying city.

"It was inherited," Eminus replied. "The Obsidian Star was insinuated into the kingdom of Kanev long before we were born…it is foolish to think that the nations of this world, even with the aid of the Red Wings, uncovered all of our secrets. At the very least, minor secrets like this slipped beneath their notice."

"Well, it's fortunate for us, really," Winfield agreed. "The accommodations here are much better than those of the Obsidian Palace…and it allows us to be much closer to the action."

"What 'action' are you talking about?" Ellis replied scathingly. "Further battles? Women…?"

"No, no, Ellis- _chan_! I'm merely talking about the tournament, the tournament! It should be a lot of fun to see. Even Eminus is interested in it, right?" Eminus didn't reply to the invitation.

Ellis pressed, "That kind of indolence is hardly becoming of someone who utterly failed to even slow down our enemies in the last battle…."

"You say that as if you accomplished anything on your own, but as memory serves, Ellis- _chan_ , you were also ineffective at slowing down Aiden Rylack…."

Ellis cast her eyes down. "Y-yes, I know," she sighed. "We all failed, utterly, and so none of us are excusable…."

"No, do not worry about it, Ellis," Eminus replied. "It is true that none of our primary objectives were met, but it is through no fault of ours…neither yours, nor particularly Nagi's and his arrancar. We could not have foreseen the arrival of the Soul Society so quickly, nor could we have guessed that Kain Lockeheart had already acquired such a great number of competent allies. If anything, despite our failures, the experiment was very valuable—we gained quite an important bit of intelligence on the enemy. It's enough, for now. Nagi will be busy sulking for a while, and Van has taken the new Corai and gone off in search of the Replication secrets he acquired from Jade Curtis."

He glanced around at his assembled group—Ellis, Winfield and Kinue standing near Eminus, with Ryuryu and Kairen standing just behind them. Elaine, Valeria, Noah, Lavinia and Faina were sitting together off to the left, and Zerva, Luana, Fyuria, Sherufanir, Yayoi and Vira-Lorr stood not far on their right. "I truly do find myself interested in Kain Lockeheart's upcoming tournament…we do not have any particularly grand necessities during this time. For once, Winfield has the right idea. You've done hard work…everyone may relax until the end of the Festival. _That_ is when the real work will need to be done."

8-8-8

'The rebuilt remnants of Orimus, sometimes called 'New Orimus', are bursting with celebrations of peace. Naturally, the biggest tourist attraction is the ruins of the old capital.

'However, coming in at second is the city's famous _Onsen_. Frequent travelers to Orimus, those who have attended multiple festivals or those who have taken up residence there, insist that you can't visit Orimus without attending its springs at least once. It is considered lucky to take a morning bath, and so even in the earliest hours of the day, the public baths attached to the great arena are bustling with devout old ladies and young men and women who drank the previous night away.'

—From 'The Magical World Journal', compiled by Jinnai Nanami.

And one little horde of tiny tots charged with great energy into the bathhouse. Lucy sighed as she and Erza followed along behind them. "I know that those disguises are all to avoid arrest," she muttered, "but still, I feel like I'm in charge of a primary school trip or something…."

"Lucy- _san_ , Erza- _san_ ,thank you very much for taking care of us all!" _Chibi_ Nodoka responded with heartfelt appreciation.

"It's nothing," Erza replied easily. "Still, it's a shame your other friends Tear, Rin, and Mei- _chan_ couldn't accompany us. Things such as this are always more fun with more people…."

"I guess they didn't want to be in the company of so many kids," _Chibi_ Kagome giggled. "Well, here it should be safe, right?" She popped a pill and returned to her usual age.

Most of the party was together in the baths—Mai, Momo, Kagome, Tokine, Nodoka, Ami, Lina, Chisame, Erika, Rei, Isumi, Hinagiku and Kazumi had all come together, and Rukia had decided to follow along, even partaking of the same age-changing pill so she could fit in with them during the travel. Most of them began to take this opportunity to change their forms.

"Are you sure we'll be okay changing back to our original forms in here…?" Nodoka asked carefully.

"You should be fine," Erza insisted. "Security is very lax in these places. There's even a saying in Orimus: 'The Bathhouse Is Asylum for One and All.'"

Lina stared at Nodoka as she settled into the water. "Are we sure that's your _original_ form?" she muttered.

Hinagiku also noticed the difference in Nodoka—she was not yet the equivalent of Mai, Kazumi, or Erika, but the formerly flat-chested girl had filled out quite nicely in the past few months. "Is there something in the water at Fairy Tail?" she muttered darkly, glancing at Erza and Lucy.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Hinagiku?"

"No, nothing…."

There was also a party on the men's side—Kain, Kajirô, Yoshimori, Kenjirô, Delryn, Gourry, Zelgadis, Natsu, Grey, Happy, and even Aiden had deigned to join them, with Kamo hanging out. Kain was looking around nervously, not fully enjoying the matter as he could.

"You can calm down, Kiddo," Kamo advised him. "You're with all of us now, so there won't be any repeats of the last incident. And I can assure you that no females will come falling out of the sky and into this bath."

Kain sighed. "I know, but…there are some traumas you don't get over…."

"I'm not sure what I think of your new hairstyle," Mai remarked to Momo. "I was just getting used to that that coifed bun, and now this…."

"Ah, well…even here it stands out a bit too much," Momo offered. "I'm not otherwise that remarkable, and I'm a wanted fugitive too, so…cutting my hair like this should help me avoid attention…."

Momo had indeed cut her hair, leaving it in a bob-cut. She kept a few adornments in it, too, although of course she had removed them before going into the bath.

"Well, hair or whatever doesn't matter," Lina sighed. "You're just lucky you skipped so much crazy heartache and trouble in the Soul Society. I wish I could just forget about the last part of my trip…."

"What happened to you, anyway?" Ami asked. "The letters showed that you should have arrived fairly early, but…."

"It was pretty crazy. That damn _mazoku_ , Xellos, was giving us directions. We foolishly followed them and ended up getting lost in some super labyrinth, something that must have been the world's largest dungeon or something. Some weird name, too, Rappanathak or something. We spent the time being chased by garbage monsters, fighting hordes of bestial humanoids, and finding what was virtually a city under there. It's amazing we got out of it to begin with…."

She trailed off as a gaggle of voices came wafting their way. They turned and stared as a new collection of females came entering the bath. The distracted figures sensed the quiet, dropping their conversations and turning to stare at the collection.

Hinagiku jumped to her feet and pointed. "Y-you again! All of you…!"

Ellis dropped her head to her hand and sighed. There was a general cacophony as the two reunited groups reacted to each other….

"That's enough!" Erza suddenly snapped out, silencing her boisterous comrades. She glanced around at them all, standing there, arms crossed in front of her chest, looking quite threatening despite her nudity. She focused mostly on her own friends, but shot a stern glance over at the newcomers. "As I've already mentioned, these springs are a blessed treasure of Orimus, and a haven for all peoples seeking to rest and recuperate their spirits. We may be enemies, but as long as we are here with peaceable intentions, there is no reason we can't share a pleasant bath together at this time, in this holy place."

"Even if they're famous springs, since when is a bathhouse 'holy'?" Lucy muttered.

"W-we appreciate that," Ellis began, "but to avoid any problems, we should probably find a spot of our own…the baths are large, after all…."

" _Sit down here with us_ _and enjoy the baths_ ," Erza insisted, cowing her.

And so the girls found themselves joined by the entire force of their enemy counterparts—Ellis, Vira-Lorr, Fyuria, Luana, Elaine, Yayoi, Sherufanir, Valeria, Lavinia, Faina, Noah, Ryuryu, and Kairen.

"Now, we're all enjoying the baths together…isn't this nice?" Erza remarked happily.

She seemed to be the only one to think so…uncomfortable silence greeted them at first, but Vira-Lorr seemed up to the task. Chuckling, she replied, "Yes, these are very fine baths, good for the skin and complexion…you young girls must benefit from this as much as you can, particularly if you want to keep looking your finest for your men. And, of course, a good bath must be accompanied by good _sake_." She produced a pitcher from…somewhere, and a small saucer (the traditional Japanese drinking vessel for _sake_ ) and poured herself some. "Would you like some too, Erza- _san_?" she offered.

"Oh, yes, please," Erza agreed. "I graciously accept your offer…."

Ellis stared at the pair, then sighed and began to sink into the water. "This joke is really starting to get old, though…."

"These are…I guess I do remember them from yesterday," Rukia murmured. "So, these are members of the Obsidian Star? Being here, enjoying these baths…they seem quite different from most of the ones in the last war, don't you think, Momo?"

"Eh? Ah, I guess so…I certainly don't remember anyone quite like them…."

"Yes, we've heard about that too much recently," Luana insisted. "As ironic as these meetings are, we should forget about them right now, yes? Here, we are all naked and exposed, all separated from the things that define us and set us apart. We are all just women here, and Erza- _san_ is quite right…we should just take our opportunities to enjoy all this together. Besides which, here we are probably united against a common foe…."

"A-a common foe?" Nodoka asked shrilly.

8-8-8

Kain and the others also sat up and gazed out in surprise at the newcomers. "Oh, it's nice, for sure! But not the nicest…a perfect view has to be found…." The speaker stopped and stared in shock. "Ah...well, what do you know! Noble comrades-in-arms!"

The gathered friends stared at Winfield as he made this announcement upon his entrance to the baths. Zerva was behind him, and, upon spotting the group, he simply shook his head, muttered something to himself, and started off to another corner, apparently content to completely ignore them, leaving them to focus on Winfield's bizarre declaration.

Kenjirô turned to Kain and pointed at the man. "Oi, I don't think I've seen more than a glance of him, but isn't he supposed to be one of our enemies? What's this 'comrades' thing about?"

"An Obsidian guy!?" Natsu barked, rising excitedly. "He came here for a fight!? All right! I'm getting…!"

"Pipe down!" Grey snapped, shoving Natsu's head underwater. As Natsu came back up again, angrily, Grey continued, "This is a public _onsen_ , a very famous and well-preserved site of peace and goodwill. Whatever, I don't care much myself, but I'd rather not fight when I'm trying to relax. _He_ doesn't look hostile right now, anyway. If you cause a ruckus, Erza will probably have something to say to you about it."

This brought Natsu into cowed control, and Winfield chuckled approvingly. "That's right, that's right! You saw what Zerva did, did you not? Here, there is no Obsidian Star, there are no White Wings or Red Wings, there are only men! Men who share a common spirit, a common life, and, especially in this place, a common goal and quest that is their duty!"

Aiden was calmly drinking alcohol of his own that he had brought with him, ignoring all of this, but the younger men all exchanged glances. "What, exactly, are you talking about?" Kain finally asked this obviously loony person.

"Come now, you have to ask, dear Kain- _kun_? This is an _onsen_ , after all…at this very moment, the women, yours and mine, are all bathing together!"

"Yes," Kain replied slowly. "And, we are also bathing together. It sounded like there might be trouble before, but it didn't last long…I think they might even be getting along, as weird as that idea seems sometimes…."

"Come now, do I have to spell it out for you? This is our mission as men! Let me explain slowly. Women. Comely. Baths. Now. Just on the other side of that wall."

Realization began to dawn over the faces of most of the young men. "Not that I am in any way condoning your proposed activity, nor condemning it," Kajirô said quite slowly. "But, I have to ask: isn't your proposed course of action…quite dangerous?"

"There is no joy without a little danger, and more than that, the most forbidden fruit is obviously the sweetest!" Winfield insisted. "So, then, comrades, brothers-in-arms! Who is with me, to partake of this most forbidden pleasure?"

Kain sighed, Kenjirô muttered something, and Kajirô just shook his head in disbelief. Aiden still sat, drinking and seemingly ignoring the whole situation, as did Zelgadis. Gourry simply seemed confused. But Yoshimori, Delryn, and even Natsu and Grey seemed rather taken with this idea.

"All those naked women…including Tokine…" Yoshimori muttered.

"A collection of beauties like that might be worth the risk," Delryn mused.

"Lucy…and to even see Erza like that!" Natsu said.

"I-it's a stupid idea," Grey insisted, but he was blushing.

Winfield led the group…not to a peephole, as they expected, but through the wall near the corner, where a few planks moved suspiciously easily aside and they slipped through.

"Should we just let them go?" Kajirô asked. "Shouldn't we…stop them?"

"I'd rather not get involved at all," Kain said. "I think, especially considering their intended victims, they will get what's coming to them."

The Obsidian ladies seemed to be loosening up more…of course, most of them were also able to partake of the alcohol, and several were doing so. "Ah, this is a fine morning activity," sighed Lavinia, a dark-skinned elf with wild red hair. "Even with the company, things aren't so bad here. These are very good springs."

" _N-Nee-chan_ …" pleaded Faina, the very fine-skinned and –haired elf girl.

"Ah, sorry." She turned to the younger girls and saluted them. "I didn't mean anything by that. I get snappish at times because I get too many stares and looks like that, being a dark elf and all."

"It's all right, _Nee-chan_ ," Faina put in. "You are, after all…."

"Just forget about it, Faina. This is our rest time, after all."

"Well…are you really sisters, then?" Lina asked.

"We're both half-dark elf, half-high elf," replied Faina. "We are full-blooded sisters…but _Nee-chan_ took after our mother, and I took after our father…."

"Yeah, sounds rough," Lina said sympathetically. "Well, it's not your appearance or parentage that matters to us, but let's forget about that."

"Yes, let's stop talking about us," Lavinia said. "I'm interested in your party's situation. So which of you lucky ladies is the beloved of that valiant gladiator of yours?"

This brought a very awkward silence to the group. Then a muted cacophony began to flow through the females, each offering reserved and reluctant denials and such that were hardly audible. "What? None of you? Well, well…should I feel sorry for you, or be disgusted with the uselessness of such a man? So many sheep bleating at his heels, and he hasn't even selected one from the flock? How pitiful…perhaps he is a eunuch…?"

"H-he's not a eunuch!" Hinagiku insisted. "K-Kain- _sensei_ is…just…."

Suddenly Erza perked up and glanced back behind her. "This feeling…someone's stalking us! Is there someone trying to peep on us?"

This suddenly caught everyone's attention. "Of all the…it _has_ to be Winfield," Ellis sighed. "Really, now…."

"There's more than just Winfield this time," Vira-Lorr murmured. "Perhaps he managed to convince some of these ladies' party to join them?"

"Hmm…perhaps Natsu and Grey joined in," Erza commented. "Well, that's fine…we used to bathe together all the time when we were kids. Perhaps we should just force these brazen peeps to join us?"

"Hell no!" Lucy screeched. "Not gonna happen!"

"Well, regardless, I think we should investigate over there," Ryuryu said. "Ellis, is Borgnine available?"

"Borgnine, capture those miscreants! Make them sorry for their misdeeds!"

Back on the men's side, the cacophony of violence began to break out as Borgnine (with assistance from Erza) began to conduct disciplinary lessons. "Well, I think it's about time to take our leave," Kain announced. Agreeing, the rest of the company rose and followed after him.

8-8-8

Fortunately for the criminals, there were no other circumstantial encounters with others in the baths…these springs were indeed quite large, and it was only the most blatant of Deus Ex Machina that had the White Wings and Obsidian Star encounter each other within. And yet they completely missed the young HiME who were availing themselves of the baths at the same time.

Arika leapt into the water with her usual energy and impulsiveness as Nina attempted to scold her for her impropriety. Arika, however, ignored Nina and focused on Yue. "Yue- _chan_! Are you sure you're okay!? Hurry on in! This should help fix you right up!"

"R-right," Yue murmured.

"These are good springs," Shiho said, touching the water. "They have a special spring created just for this house. We're also rather fortunate for being able to use them…they very well are probably used by Kalan- _san_ himself, you know."

"Ah…really?" Irina said. "I…I guess so…he could be using them right now…."

"What does that matter?" Nina grumped.

"Oh?" Shiho said coyly. "You say that, Nina- _chan_ , but you'd love to meet Kalan- _san_ here in the bath, wouldn't you? Just give the order, oh chief, and we could all go sneaking over to spy him out…."

"I-isn't that…wrong…? And…reversed?" Erstin quavered.

"Would you stop talking about that stupidity!?" Nina began.

"Ah, c'mon, Nina- _chan_ , just lighten up a little," Arika teased, stroking her on the side and eliciting a girlish squeal from her.

Nina turned her wrath fully on Arika, making the bath a little livelier than was proper.

This was fine for Yue, as it allowed her to escape unnoticed to a more secluded corner. There she withdrew her card from the towel she carried with her. _('Kain Lockeheart…the name on my contract card…not many people know it, but they say…Shiho-_ san _said…the hero Kalan has a son back in the old world. That boy back then…could he really be connected somehow…with the name on the back of this card…?_

 _('Contract cards allow the holder to communicate telepathically with the master…if that master is here in this city, then all I have to do is say his name and will it, and the magic should connect it…._

 _('If…it actually connects to that boy….')_

Yue raised the card to her head. "Kain Lockeheart…" she intoned.

Kain was emerging from the building alongside Kenjirô and Kajirô when a tremulous voice sounded inside his head: _'Um, h-hello…?'_

Kain froze in place. Then, excusing himself, he vanished, teleporting back to his room so he could speak privately. _'Hello...is that you, Yue?'_

Yue started as the target of her sending identified her so easily. She hesitated, but Kain seemed to sense the confirmation all the same. _'So, that was you I saw yesterday…that would partially explain why I didn't notice anyone in the area before I fled to the sky. Doesn't matter…anyway, are you all right, Yue? I'm sorry I had to attack you there…but….'_

 _'N-no…it's…I did tell you to. I knew I didn't want you captured, but….'_

 _'Haha…as if they could have…no, I still regret having to go that far. In any case, I'm so relieved to see and hear from you again. We were all so worried about you…even after Urahara-_ san _gave us so many assurances, we couldn't help but fret. But you're alive, you're all right, and you're here at Orimus…Nodoka and Ami and the others will be so relieved once I tell them….'_

 _'W-wait, Lockeheart-_ san _, please…I-I…the truth is, I really don't have any idea what you're talking about.'_

 _'…Eh?'_

 _'The truth is, I suddenly showed up in Wind Bloom with amnesia. I don't remember anything about what happened before that, who I was, anything…it's all blank to me, nothing but feelings. The leaders of Garderobe Academy have been taking care of me, but…I still don't really know anything. So, although I figured out how to use this card, I…don't know you, or any of these other people you're talking about, or….'_

 _'…I see. That would explain a few things. It's all right. It's just enough to know that you're doing well. From the looks of things, those other girls with you care a great deal about you. I'm so glad. I…don't know how things will proceed, but there's still plenty of time, and we'll all be here. For now I'll leave you alone, if that's what you prefer.'_

 _'…Y-yes…that's probably for the best….'_

 _'I'll take my leave, then. It was good to hear from you, Yue. Take care.'_

The static-like silence that followed told Yue that the man had cut off the communication. Yue began to lower the card, shivering slightly. _('J-just from that…the sound of his voi—his thoughts was enough to shake my heart…he said that he had been worried, and my heart just seemed to clench…he must really be…someone….')_

"Hey! Yue- _chan_! What are you doing over here!?" Arika demanded, bursting into Yue's world like the ordnance she could be.

"N-nothing!" Yue shrieked, trying to hide her card in her towel again.

"Come on! It's more fun bathing together! Let's work hard!"

"How do you work hard at taking a bath?" Shiho murmured, but she glanced at Yue out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. She didn't need to touch Yue to get a glimpse of what she had been doing, and what had happened to her.

Kain stood in his room, breathing slowly. He withdrew Yue's card and stared at it, then clenched it in his fist. "Amnesia, eh?" he murmured.

"That was Yuecchi?" Kamo asked, appearing on his shoulder again. "Amnesia…that does explain a few things. But, she's been under Garderobe's care, huh? Kisuke was right…in that situation, she was just fine being left alone. Of course, even if she doesn't get her memory back, we can't leave her here…."

"I know…but for now…it's enough. We'll leave it be for now. Anyway, were you listening in?"

"Hey, it's my ability and my privilege since I'm involved in this contract process. But in return, I'll tell you something good about Garderobe…."

8-8-8

"Kain- _sensei_!"

Kaoru attempted to tackle the teacher, but Riku knocked her down. "Be more polite to our _sensei_! Besides, don't you have something to say, first?"

Kaoru sobered quickly and bowed low, her face turning from relieved ecstasy to morose contrition (and quite honestly). "K-Kain- _sensei_ …I'm so sorry…we're sorry we disobeyed you and came here…."

Kain waved the apology away. "It's nothing…I'm just glad you're all right…I'm sorry I got you involved in such troubling circumstances."

"No, we're the ones at fault," Riku insisted. "Kain- _sensei_ , we really should have listened to you. We put ourselves in this mess. And we have no right to blame you, since…by comparison…we ended up in such fortunate circumstances." She glanced back at Izumi, Miki, Riza and Yukari, who were standing back watching.

"Yes, of course. That's why Kalan has to win this tournament. It'll be a little longer until we get back, but I promise you…we will all make it home."

"Ah, that's right!" Kaoru said, perking up. "K…Kalan- _san_ 's preliminary match is tomorrow, right? I've already got tickets for it!"

"Yes, _we do_ ," Riku corrected her. "And we know who to thank for it…."

Wein took his turn to wave off the niceties with a chuckle. "No, don't mention it. We're just glad we finally got you reunited with your friends." He focused on the young man. "Kain Lockeheart…it is an honor to meet the son of the legendary hero. Her Majesty sends her regards as well, and regrets that she cannot yet meet you, but she hopes to remedy that soon."

"Her Majesty…Queen Artoria Pendragon, eh?" Kain smiled slightly as the title brought images to his mind, visions of the great deeds and feats he had seen just yesterday. "Yes…I'm looking forward to meeting her myself…."

"Oh, I bet!" Kaoru announced. "Especially since she's…."

Riku clocked Kaoru, silencing her, but Kain didn't notice…or pretended not to. "In any case, my friend Delryn is up next, so why don't we go watch his preliminary match? I have special seating, courtesy of…Kalan, enough special executive seats for all of us…."

"Oh, yes!"

8-8-8

"That was…intense," Kaoru remarked. "He seemed…really aggressive…that Delryn- _san_ …."

"He also seemed…rather already injured when he started that fight," Yukari mentioned.

"I'm sure that's just karma," Kain replied. "And…you should see the other guy." He allowed himself a small smirk.

"I saw that Kuchiki Byakuya guy earlier, too," Miki offered. "He was…frightening. He defeated his opponent with a single sword thrust…well, we guess, although it was so fast nobody could see it. One second the match started, the next he was past his opponent, who sprouted blood and fell over."

" _Senka_ ," Kain murmured. He remembered it well—the first attack Byakuya had used against him, and a maneuver he had also seen in the recent 'movie.' "Yes…he probably will be the biggest obstacle for Kalan."

8-8-8

Finally the third day of the preliminaries dawned. Kain and Kenjirô were absent, as their alter-egos prepared for their own battles.

Chibi Neko Nodoka, Chibi Neko Chisame, Chibi Neko Mai, and Chibi Neko Ami wandered outside of the arena in the company of Riku and Kaoru.

"I wonder how Kalan- _san_ and Kôjirô- _san_ are doing," Ami mused. "At least they aren't facing each other…."

"Well, they're pretty amazing, so I'm sure they're fine," Mai said.

"W-wait…" Riku began. "Wait a sec!"

"Hmm? What's the matter, Harada?" Chisame asked.

"What's the matter!? Are you four really my classmates!? You aren't some sort of…of magic illegitimate children, are you!?"

"We're the real thing," Chisame sighed. "Really."

"We are wanted criminals," Ami pointed out.

"Chibi plus Neko !" Mai explained. "It's a perfect disguise here."

"You're talking about disguises…but getting that short is over the top!" Riku insisted.

"Are you still not used to magic?" Mai asked.

Nodoka proffered a pair of the special pills to Riku and Kaoru. "P-please, try this…."

"Candy…?" The girls accepted and consumed the pills.

This produced a theatrical explosion sound and smoke. And then they emerged…seemingly about seven or eight years old.

As they gaped at their new forms, Nodoka explained, "These are highly advanced alchemical drugs created by Alyssa- _san_ …they can't be detected by any kind of normal magic means."

"Really, I think I have better opinions about you two now," Chisame remarked to the newly-shortened group.

"Eh? Why's that?" Kaoru asked.

"Nothing…I'm just wondering how those who knew nothing about magic could get thrown into this world were able to escape unscathed up to now."

"Ah, that's just thanks to our good luck," Riku admitted. "We were picked up by some good, reliable people…."

Kaoru began to giggle mischievously. "Still, Chisame- _chan_ …I'm more surprised at you, actually talking with us like this…you'd never do that before…."

"W-wha…that's not it, idiot! It's just our circumstances, so…."

"Well, anyway, even if you have these disguises, are you really safe…?" Riku asked, ignoring the comedy routine Chisame was playing.

"It's not a problem," Mai assured her. "We have plenty of people to help protect us right now. Hitsugaya- _san_ is even watching us right now."

She pointed behind her, and Riku turned to stare at the short white-haired young man, currently dressed in a black collared shirt and white slacks. He had his usual dour expression, and was standing close enough to obviously belong to their group, although Riku had not really noticed him until this moment. "Ah…that kid…?"

"I'm not a kid!" insisted Tôshirô hotly. "I'm a _hinigami_ captain of the Seireitei!"

"A-ah…sorry…d-did you take one of these pills, too…?"

"I did not!"

"He's a _hinigami_ , like Momo," Mai explained quietly to Riku. " _Shinigami_ live far longer than humans, and so even though he looks like that, he's far older than any of us, although he _is_ young for a _hinigami_. He's also really sensitive about his height, so…."

"R-right, I apologize," Riku offered. Tôshirô grumped but accepted the apology.

8-8-8

Miki and the rest were back to work serving as Kalan made his match against a four-armed _yôkai_ woman. Kain met her four swords with his own single blade. _('She's strong…as expected of those who have made it all the way to this championship. But still…compared to the likes of_ them _….')_

Kenjirô watched from the 'barracks' next door as he waited for his own turn to come soon. He watched Kain evade a masterful four-sword thrust by blocking two swords with his feet, grabbing one in his hand, and catching the other on his sword, then leap off and slam the woman away with a twisting double-footed jump kick. He landed on his feet and, as the demon-girl brought herself to a halt, he engulfed her in a surge of power with a snap of his fingers.

 _('He's just unbelievable,')_ Kenjirô thought. _('Of course, I noticed that at the end, too, when he came back from his training…he took those last few groups in the league down on his own, making me just watch. He has ascended to a new level, especially in his determination…it's got to be him. Not even Kuchiki Byakuya—Kain's looking past him towards Eminus…._

 _('How much further will you go, Kain? Heh…I still have a ways to catch up…but I'm getting there. With luck, I'll get a chance to measure us at some point here….')_

8-8-8

Up in a VIP box at the top of the stadium, Aiden stared down at the silently triumphant figure of old Kain. "Sheesh…at least show a smile when you win, Kid…."

A figure came walking up behind him. She chuckled. "Well…how rare to see one of the shadowy, secret investors of this tournament…here, of all places…."

Aiden turned around in surprise. "Saber! Ah, I'm sorry…Queen Artoria…how pleasing to see you, your Majesty." He gave a low bow. "It's been a long time." He rose and nodded to the swordsman flanking her. "And Cidolfus Orlandeau, Thunder God Cid, the First Knight of the Round himself. Not that I expected any less for the Twentieth Anniversary Memorial Festival…."

"Of course not…everyone is going all out for this."

All three figures turned to observe the newcomers…in the front a smiling but somewhat mousy-seeming woman in her late twenties, with short brown hair, freckles, and small oval glasses, in a white-dress suit. Flanking her was another woman, quite larger, with medium-length blond hair with long, straight bangs covering her forehead, dressed in a military uniform-like green dress. Next to her was a very large man with wild, sun-like black hair and a goatee, in a suit of his own. An assembly of the Halteese Republic: Yukino Chrysant, Haruka Armitage, and Jean-Luc Ricardo.

"Ricardo, you old dog! Ah, and milady…Yukino- _chan_ , isn't it?"

"Hey!" the other woman roared, stalking forward and staring imperiously at Aiden, fists on her hips. "Who do you think you are to address Yukino like that? This is a senator of the Halteese Republic…!"

"And this is a hero of the entire world," Ricardo chuckled. "Take it easy, Haruka- _chan_. This is a festival of peace, after all…and in a clandestine meeting like this, I should think that we can really dispense with the formalities."

"That's right," agreed the next arrival as the tanned, blond-haired Emperor Peony Grandall entered, flanked by Jade Curtis. "If some of our generals and fellow politicians knew that the heads of three nations and such other important individuals were meeting in this manner, who knows what they'd think…?"

"That's very true. But under these circumstances, it's quite necessary." This newest speaker was Mashiro Kazahana, pushed along as usual by Fumi. Sargon was at her side.

"These are far away from any normal times," agreed the last to enter, Shunsui Kyôraku (with Jûshirô Ukitake at his side). "Miss Mashiro has set up a barrier, so we don't need to worry about anyone eavesdropping on us. We can do our secret plotting all we like…and drink, maybe?" He held up a jug of _sake_ while his companion sighed.

"Ah, a drink sounds good," Ricardo sighed, twitching his head around and rubbing his shoulder. "That should help me loosen up. Really…being an authorized legislative councilor makes my shoulders stiff…."

"C'mon, old man, don't be so down," Peony laughed. "In any case, since we're here, let's drink and watch the rest of the preliminaries!"

Largely agreeing, they settled down and pulled up the large viewscreen. "Ah, yes, I remember this man," Orlandeau laughed as 'Kalan' spoke with Koto following his victory. "He's created quite a fuss, hasn't he…?"

"I don't really know the details, but he sure is powerful," Haruka commented. "It's far too suspicious…."

"Ahh, him, right," Aiden agreed. "He's really Kalan's actual son, isn't he?"

"WHAT!?" sputtered Ricardo and Haruka together in shock. The rest seemed rather amused by this…which only angered Haruka even more as she glanced around at the grinning faces. "What, everyone knew!?"

"Through various circumstances," agreed Sargon with a chuckle. "Kain Lockeheart, isn't he? Bold teacher of Mahora Academy?"

"But that doesn't make sense!" insisted Ricardo. "I mean, you mentioned Kain Lockeheart, but he couldn't possibly be that old…!"

"It's an alchemical technique developed by the Infernal Princess, Alysaser," Aiden explained. "No magic can penetrate it, from what I hear. A perfect aging disguise…to help him avoid the trouble caused by a certain 'Randis Helam' identity…."

"But, if he's the son of Kalan Lockeheart, isn't it obvious that he'll win?" Haruka insisted. "I mean, even a Soul Reaper like Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't really defeat a man like that…."

Aiden chuckled. "Don't think it's a foregone conclusion. You can't count out Byakuya yet…I fought alongside him, and I can tell you that his strength is real. He's not going to roll over to that kid. But, more than that…I've taken a lot of interest in him myself, so I've already registered for the tournament." He drained his glass and rose. "And I think it'll be my preliminary bout soon, so I should head down there…."

"Ah…not pulling any punches, Aiden? That seems unfair," Shunsui remarked. "Besides, isn't your own son in the tournament as well…?"

Aiden waved negligently as he headed for the door. "That's Delryn's business. If we meet, it's just fate. My business is simply making sure that boy really _is_ his father's son. Enjoy the rest of the matches in here…I've got work to do…."

8-8-8

Kain, Izumi and Yukari turned to greet Kenjirô as he returned from his successful preliminary bout.

"W-well done!" Yukari congratulated him.

Kenjirô accepted the praise nonchalantly. Kain turned a soft smile back on Izumi. "As I was saying, we'll have you freed in no time. You guys just hang in there, okay?"

"B-but are you sure you'll be okay in the tournament…?" Izumi asked. "I-I've heard…they say the guys who are competing in this tournament are on a whole different level…will you really be okay fighting people like that?"

Kenjirô chuckled. "Well, me aside…I can only think of one guy who can stand up to Kalan right now," he said, giving Kain a cheerful shove. "Somehow or other, we'll do it."

"That's exactly what I've been training for," Kain assured her. "I've been pushing myself hard to reach it…and I think that goal is in sight…."

8-8-8

Flashing back to that morning, pre- _onsen_ ….

 _["Now, Kiddo, it's certainly true that you've become stronger," Aiden remarked. "Incredibly so, considering how little time you've had. That said, I still think you're a ways from taking down someone like Eminus, if he's really serious…."_

 _Kain recalled the figures he had seen in Aiden's video. "Right," he agreed seriously. "I saw that yesterday, what you're talking about. But…speaking of that movie…Mai is the key, here, right? Although it seems they had some other plan…."_

 _"I know you've got questions, Kain, and I think that there are enough clues in everything everyone's seen to piece most of it together," Aiden replied. "But that's for another time. Even with your strength, winning the tournament at this stage is no guarantee. The Obsidian Star is preparing the culmination of their plot, and may still try for Mai. Fine. But you can't do much about that right now. With over a dozen captain-class Soul Reapers wandering around, not to mention the HiME and the Knights of the Round Artoria has here, Mai should be safe enough. We should be ready the minute they try anything, too. So you need to focus on what you can and need to do: win that tournament and save your other students, right? So let's focus on that."_

 _"R-right. I can worry about the rest later, as you say. So…?"_

 _"Well, apart from Byakuya, it should be easy as pie…well…no. I really think even he won't be a challenge for you anymore. Maybe I shouldn't have shown you the video…knowing you, with your talents, you've already starting coming up with ways to beat him and overcome all those powers of his, and with the power you've gained, you'll probably manage it without too much trouble."_

 _"Really?" Kain offered, somewhat suspiciously._

 _"Really. Well, let's look at things with that 'Power Level' chart again." Chisame wheeled over a chalkboard, and he offered her thanks._

 _"Don't just use me for these kinds of things," Chisame muttered._

 _"Now," Aiden continued, scribbling out his board almost perfectly as it was originally, "before, you were somewhere down here. In direct physical and magical prowess, you haven't improved much comparatively…probably only 50% or so, not that that is really unimpressive or anything, but as you can see, still way below the level you need to be." He marked Kain at around 750. "Of course, that's very misleading, because right now you can probably jump 10 times that with your 'True_ Kanka _' pretty much at will, so your effective strength would be around 7500. I said captain-class Soul Reapers are 3000, but Byakuya's a talented and powerful captain, so he's actually probably around 5000, shooting up to 6000 or so with his_ Bankai _fully unleashed. And I may have underestimated Eminus…he's likely at least 8000, around Alysaser's level. So you should be able to beat Byakuya, but you're probably still short of that Eminus kid if he gets serious. But you did well against him yesterday, so…."_

 _"So authoritative," Chisame muttered. "What makes you so sure about this, anyway…?"_

 _"Just experience. In any case, Kain, you should be able to handle anything in the tournament. If you can't top at least Byakuya, you definitely need to step aside and let the old guard handle the Obsidian Star…more than rescuing those girls, this will be your real measuring stick. You got it?"_

 _Kain nodded with determination. "Right."]_

8-8-8

"Yeah," Kain told Izumi with a smile. "This will be no problem. I'll get you guys freed…after that, it's up to Kain and your classmates to get you home."

"R-right…thank you…."

Kenjirô, listening to the sounds of the crowd outside, went to investigate the latest match and started. "K-Kai…Kalan!" he roared. "You better come see this!"

Kain, surprised, hurried over…and gaped at the spectacle.

Rewinding slightly to catch the whole picture, we have Koto standing on stage announcing the next fighters. "From Avalon, we have a master swordsman, a warrior and crusader, a member of their very Knights of the Round! Trained as a true paladin, the _yôkai_ Matta Monde-Paix!"

Koto let a good portion of the crowd roar in appreciation as Matta took his place in the arena…a large man, with a beard of tentacle-like appendages, a thick, reptilian tail, and cloven hooves for feet. He carried a sword nearly as big as he was in his hands. Finally Koto turned and made a sweeping gesture towards the other gate. "And now, we announce a very special new competitor who has been granted one of the final preliminary spots! A man who has avoided the public eye for the last ten years, but for a long time previously dominated the headlines! The one and only legendary mercenary gunman…the premier treasure-hunter, explorer, and adventurer…the ally of Kalan Lockeheart, a member of the Red Wings, the famed Mage-Killer…Aiden Rylack!"

This announcement, as Aiden came swaggering onto the stage, is what brought Kenjirô to summon Kain in panic. The pair gaped at the man. "N-no way…Aiden…really?"

"Matta, the only Knight of the Round competing, was a favorite to advance in the tournament, but now he has, quite frankly, become a heavy underdog to pass the preliminary! Nevertheless, proving his own fortitude, he seems undaunted by the fame of his opponent! As expected of a champion of Avalon!"

"Not undaunted," Matta chuckled to Aiden. "I didn't expect this…but at least I'll have a good fight to prove myself. May the best man win, eh, hero of the Red Wings?"

"I admire your courage, for sure," Aiden agreed. "Let's give 'em a good show."

"I-is that really Aiden?" Kain hissed.

"I-I'm pretty sure it is…."

"No, maybe it's a fake! Yeah, that would make perfect sense…since a 'Kalan Lockeheart' is in the tournament, somebody thought it would be good idea to get notoriety by impersonating another hero of the Red Wings…."

"Begin!" Koto shouted.

Matta began to charge, and Aiden sighed. "Well, I'd like to have a good brawl, but I can't waste time and energy against a foe as tough as you. Sorry, but…."

And he fired a shot. Kain gasped as he felt, largely just through his cloak and partially through the magical senses that had opened around him since his transformation, the very reality of the world bent by magical power. In one instant Aiden drew his pistol and fired a bullet, imbuing it with all the magic he could muster…including a full level of his Entropy magic. Matta had enough talent, wit and power to raise his sword to block the attack…but the bullet shattered his sword, blasted into him and shocked him right in his vitals, sending him instantly to unconsciousness. Aiden sheathed his gun, turned, and bowed to the roaring crowd as Koto, stammering, came forward to count.

"N-no way that's a fake," Kenjirô murmured. He, an expert at perceiving supernatural powers, felt the reality-warping entropy at work as much as Kain did. "T-that was…."

 _('The same attack he tried to use to snipe my father,')_ Kain thought _. ('His ultimate Entropy attack, the Perfect Shot, pouring all his Entropy magic into a single attack to guarantee a kill or at least a critical shot, something guaranteed, in any case, to eliminate the foe. He won't be able to even use Entropy for some time, but it hardly matters…Aiden Rylack…is entering this tournament….')_

8-8-8

They found that Aiden was relaxing in an upper office he had either commandeered or been granted, but even as they stomped up to confront him Delryn blew past them and assaulted the desk first. "What the hell is that, Dad!?" Delryn roared at the older man. "Out of nowhere, you're trying to enter this tournament!? What, are you intentionally trying to just keep me from winning!?"

"Oh, hey Del," Aiden replied conversationally as Kain and Kenjirô entered. "Really, I didn't enter with you in mind at all. Although that's fine, too…."

"Seriously…!"

"Fine, fine. Imagine what you want. I'm here as a stone in your path…if you really want to prove yourself, do it by going through me. You can't do better than that, right?" He turned to Kain and Kenjirô as they approached with Chisame (Chibi Neko) trailing after them, Kamo on her head. "And you guys, too. You're coming with that same question, right?"

"Well, this morning you _did_ tell me to just go and take the tournament and prove myself," Kain noted. "You said I should be able to beat any of them, even Byakuya, without too much trouble…."

"Yes…yes I did. But I never said I was or wasn't entering, did I?"

"Oh, c'mon!" Kenjirô insisted. "You entering the tournament isn't just an extreme development, it's a super-mega-ultra-extreme development! This changes everything! Anyway you look at it, it seems like a deliberate attempt to keep any of us from winning!"

"Ah, c'mon," Aiden chuckled. "You guys are awful quick to give up. I'm disappointed in you…in all three of you."

"W-well, what then? Is this some sort of final exam from master to student or something?" Kain asked, but without much hope.

"Y-yeah, that makes sense! Like a final ceremony or initiation…" Chisame offered. "You entered the tournament just to see how they've grown…then, if you win the match, you can turn the winnings over to us…."

Aiden laughed. "What? No way! If I win that money, fair and square, then I'm keeping it!"

Kenjirô began to growl. "Don't screw with us, old man. Our main reason for entering this tournament is to rescue our friends from slavery! From _slavery_! Innocent, harmless teenage girls! I don't know _what_ reason you might have to mess with that, but we need that money to set them free…."

"Well, then, I guess you'll have to beat me, won't you?" Aiden said. "Or come up with a backup plan. I'm sure there are any number of ways you can get them released, any number of people here who'd be willing to help you. This is the best way for you, but not the _only_ way. No, this morning I said to use this as a measuring stick, right? I just decided on a whim to take this a step further. You wanted to settle things with Eminus, right? Eminus, Kalan, and I are all close to the same level…I won't say more than that, but it means that, if you really want to battle him…you'll need to be able to stand up to me, at least. If you say you don't have any chance of beating me, then how do you think you'll do against Eminus? Hell, what does that say about your chances of catching Kalan? Look at me, and look hard, Kain…Kenjirô…Delryn. You guys want strength…you want to prove yourselves. We, the old guard—me, and Byakuya too—we're the gateways to that grand stage. Come on over…if you can. Let's do this…and settle it like men."

Kain fell silent. Finally he glanced back at Delryn, then over at Kenjirô, then returned his look to Aiden. He steeled his resolve. "Fine, then. We'll settle this in the ring…Aiden."

8-8-8

Although Kain had finally accepted the matter calmly, certain of his party had not.

"Hopeless! Hopeless! Hopeless! Hopeless! It's all hopeless! It's impossible!" Chisame screeched.

"Aargh, that idiot, Aiden! Why'd he have to pull a stunt like this!? Ahh, what the hell does he think he's playing at!? It's things like this that make men such idiots!

"If that idiot hadn't gone and entered himself, this whole thing would've been a breeze, right!?" she finally demanded of Kain.

"Maybe." Kain shrugged. "I'm not guaranteed to win against Byakuya, either…."

"Ah, as if we didn't have enough to worry about already with Eminus, and that evil organization and all! Now he has to go and add to our problems…!"

"You're awfully bent out of shape about this," Kenjirô remarked, having also calmed down about the matter.

"And you're awfully damn calm! Don't you realize what we're talking about here!? Aiden Rylack was famous quite apart from his Red Wings career, you know…! Our whole plan is completely ruined…."

"Hmm, so it's impossible to earn the winnings now?" Kain asked her bluntly.

"Well, isn't that obvious!? You should know, first hand! Did you ever once get the better of him in all that training you did with him!? I was there, too, you know! I saw you fighting him! I know that I'm just a novice when it comes to fighting, and neither of you was serious, but even I could see that he had every advantage! And he hasn't once used that 'Entropy' stuff of his on you in training…so his real power is even greater! Do you really think you have a chance against him!?"

Kamo chuckled. "Well, it's not as if Aiden will be fighting full force against him in the tournament, either, although he'll test him thoroughly. I think he'll play at the same level Sakura did during the Festival's final event…enough to really test him, to punish him if he's not serious, but not with the intention of winning _at any cost_."

"Ah. Wonderful. We have to hope he's a villain of Sakura's caliber, you're saying?" Chisame muttered darkly.

"Wouldn't hurt. You really wouldn't want to see him serious, that's for sure."

Chisame sighed. "No, I wouldn't. I know that he's a bit of a blowhard, but I've seen enough of what he can do…from when he first entered that fight between Byakuya and Kain- _sensei_ , canceling their powers simultaneously, practically without effort. And the truth is, purely out of curiosity, I asked him afterwards where exactly he would place himself on that 'power level chart' he was using to, uh, 'teach' Kain- _sensei_. What do you think his level was? Over nine thousand."

"Hmm." Kenjirô considered this. "Then, we'll have to appeal to his sensibilities, or exploit his weaknesses…although by now it seems that he's outgrown the same kind of lecherousness that his son exhibits, so it might be hard to do that. Maybe we can rig the match somehow…."

"How are we supposed to rig the match against someone who can control the power of chance?" Chisame grumbled.

Kain sighed. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We're jumping the gun. At the heart of it, Aiden is right—we might make all the plans in the world, but we can't guarantee victory against him, any more than we can guarantee victory against the Obsidian Star. All we can do is try our best. Kenjirô and I both need to." He smiled at his friend. "We still don't know who we'll be fighting and when, but we'll likely need to go through each other and Kuchiki Byakuya before we can take on Aiden. And when that time comes…my father's best friend has acknowledged me as a man. For that reason alone, I'm going to stop worrying about those kinds of futures until it happens. I'm going to face each opponent with my best…Aiden, or whoever, and I'm going to prove that I am worthy of being the victor of this tournament."

The group stared at him. Chisame finally sighed. "As you say," she said with a small smile. "When you talk like that, Kain- _sensei_ …we have no choice but to believe in you, right?"

F I N

 _Author's Note:_ Onsen _and Tournament_

 _Another darn_ onsen _episode! As I've mentioned, Mahou Sensei Negima was rife with fan service and_ onsen _episodes, and one immediately followed Rakan's movie in the original story. This was largely an excuse for…no, not fan service…all right, all right, obviously fan service, it's the name of the manga, but also to reintroduce characters. In this case, the Canis Niger mercenary bounty hunters that attacked Nodoka and crew before. In particular, there was the 'Chichigami'—the God of Breasts—who is actually revealed to be a rather diminutive female demon. In the original this girl was a booby-obsessed freak who was salivating over the boobies of Nodoka, her friends, and Setsuna and Kaede and all, dressed in a suit of power armor obscuring her identity, and this girl, unleashed in the_ onsen _, molested everyone for new fan service. Obviously, I had no intention of doing anything with her (and she never existed in the first place in my Nodoka attack). However, what I did decide was to use another_ onsen _episode more appropriate to my cast…Winfield's peeping antics. As I've mentioned in his intro, every generation of RoAW has one_ onsen _scene where Winfield always goes to peep and then gets caught and punished. So I wanted to have his game here, added the other boys in the party who have expressed peeping tendencies before (believe it or not, there is a mini-_ onsen _episode in Fairy Tail where Natsu and Grey and a few other men_ do _try to peek on the ladies), and sent them off to the slaughter. And so I threw in the usual conversations, a little more awkward 'Why the heck are we making peace with these obvious enemies!?' sentiment, and a bit more Fairy Tail bits (yes, Erza's reaction is actually pretty much as shown—remember, she, Grey, and Natsu did all grow up in the guild together)._

 _The little blip highlighting Nodoka is actually a retcon…fixing something I observed later on. It also is not part of the original material, but I didn't add it because of my fondness for Nodoka. Nodoka is eventually revealed in epilogue moments to have blossomed into a well-endowed beauty, but she is not one of those noted in any of these points as a rapidly-maturing girl…although these certain later scenes nevertheless show that she is well on the way. Still, marking this moment makes it easier to present certain scenes later on without adding a burdensome, convoluted aside or just leaving it as an impossible-seeming moment._

 _Yue was also in the_ onsen _, and she and her comrades eventually became victims to the Chichigami_ _as well. She actually was interrupted by her friends, originally, before she called Negi…a bit of story Deus Ex Machina hanky-panky to keep Negi from talking to her and confirming her identity (remember, in the original Fate succeeded in capturing Asuna and swapping her for a fake, so they assume, when they find out a member of Ala Alba is captured, that it must be Yue, since they haven't seen her yet; had they known she was safe and in town, they would have proof that something else was up. There were some terrible loops flown to keep this in play—Negi tries to contact Yue after seeing her after the battle, but for some reason he 'can't get through' to her, no other explanation. Also, they should have noticed this, that Yue's badge was hanging out in town, but somehow it…well, it's never explained why they didn't track her separate badge. Maybe it just stopped working for no reason. Anyway, because I spared Mai this fate and already rescued Erika, there was no reason to keep Yue and Kain apart. The communications and interferences of my much more awesome Kisuke and Mashiro have kept her temporarily separated, but her safety is assured to the leader._

 _Then, of course, there are the tournament preliminaries. They didn't go into details, but there were more two-on-two battles, a kind of mini-tournament already, before the main tournament; I instead went, as mentioned, with a single-man tournament, and a single match preliminary to determine seeding by ranking. Kagetarô, the villain who attack Negi in town and severed his arm, leading to Negi getting taken in by Rakan, suddenly gets Rakan for a partner, and we learn they were friends and Rakan set the whole thing up from the beginning. I have a lot more complications in mine—Delryn, Kain vs. Kenjirô potential, a separate Byakuya, and even Natsu…so it'll be more fun. But the gist is there…Kain thinks he has an easy victory (not as easy as it would have been for Negi, because Byakuya is obviously stronger than Kagetarô), until Aiden suddenly decides to enter and gives that ultimatum—you want to be one of the top, prove it by topping me. Or whatever._

 _Well, it's time to begin…the real tournament…._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Two: Remember the Name

"Over the next seven days, these, our sixty-four surviving competitors, those who have been victorious in the preliminary struggles, will battle for the championship of the 19th Kalan Lockeheart Cup! Each day, a single round will be fought, each competitor will engage in one battle, and the winners will advance to the next round on the next day…each day, there will be fewer battles, but they will be even greater and grander than those before! And with one day of preparation and rest before the final, culminating match, we will savor the battle of the ultimate warriors!

"Now, our judges have ranked each of the battles of the preliminaries, and from this our seeding for the great Memorial Tournament has been set! Let's reveal them all…!"

Koto was giving her announcement from the stage, with a great screen behind her. The screen began to roll random characters around on its surface as the victorious fighters watched from the wings and the audience waited with anticipation.

Finally the characters began to become names, which scrolled down in descending order, starting with the 64th seed.

Most of them didn't mean anything to Kain. A few he vaguely recognized because of their apparent fame, but he knew they wouldn't be much to worry about—it was only the later names that would mean anything.

Natsu Dragneel occupied the 20th slot. Delryn Rylack came in at 15th. Kôjirô Tanabi was 11th rank. Then, in the top three: Kalan Lockeheart, #3; Byakuya Kuchiki, #2; and Aiden Rylack, #1. Following this, the screen changed to show a full bracket of the tournament.

"Hahaha!" Natsu laughed. "I'm higher than you guys!" He pointed at his new friends of Delryn, 'Kôjirô', and 'Kalan'.

"That's actually bad, Natsu," pointed out his ever-present companion Happy. "In this situation, the lower ranks are better."

"Huh? Is it like that? Man…."

"Fifteen, huh?" Delryn murmured, a glint in his eye. "Well, just gives me more to prove, then…."

Kain spared Delryn a quick, sideways glance and then murmured to Kenjirô, "Are you also feeling disrespected? You probably should have been four, or 5 at least…."

Kenjirô shook his head. "No…there are a few other real elites here. Just look at the number six…if all goes according to plan, I'll face him in the third round…right before I face you…."

Kain scanned the name. With Kenjirô calling attention to it, he caught his breath as he recognized it: Kôtarô Hanatabi.

Instinctively he glanced sideways through the crowd. There, he saw the figure he had seen in that movie a few days earlier: the tall man in the fine _kimono_ , with the long silver-white hair tied in a ponytail. The man turned sharp yellow eyes towards the two aged youngsters, smiled slightly, and then turned and made his way out.

"Tomorrow the great battle commences!" Koto exclaimed. "We hope to see you all there!"

8-8-8

Chisame, Nodoka, Ami, Mai, Momo, Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippô, Myôga, Kain, Kenjirô, Kajirô, Hinagiku, Renji, and Rukia all consulted over a copy of the bracket.

"We thought it was going to be so easy," Chisame murmured. "But this is where the real complication starts…."

"How nicely prepared," Kajirô remarked. "So…Kenjirô- _kun_ has a date with his father in the third round, and then he and Kain- _kun_ will face off in the fourth. After that…unless that Delryn is stronger than he looks...the semi-finalist goes against Kuchiki Byakuya. And after that…Aiden Rylack…."

"His side seems barren of notables," Ami added. "Natsu- _san_ , if he makes it that far…."

Mai glanced over at Kain. "Will you really be okay? This looks…."

"I'll have to," Kain said quietly. "We'll see." He glanced over at Kenjirô and nodded. "Still, it may finally be time for that rematch you've always wanted…."

"Don't get ahead of things," his friend replied. "I still have to survive my third round. Well, we'll see."

8-8-8

The next two days passed swiftly.

There were battles—thirty-two the first day, then sixteen the next. But they were almost a blur to Kain, insignificant. He vanquished two foes who wouldn't even rate his four hardest battles of the week. Kenjirô made his own way past, the favored heroes generally going far, and even Natsu had no problem with his first two opponents.

And then the third day dawned. In the early morning the first battle began.

"It is now the third day! The pretenders have been vanquished! The real warriors now battle for pride and honor as we welcome the Sweet Sixteen! We begin today with our most significant battle yet: on this side, a second-generation hero, the bloodline of one of the champions of this city, this Festival, this tournament: Delryn Rylack! This superb swordsman has proven that his family's talent is living well within him! And his opponent: more than second generation, the most famous captain of the Seireitei, of Soul Society, a _hinigami_ who traveled alongside Delryn's own father and Kalan Lockeheart: the incomparable Kuchiki Byakuya!"

"Always with that," Delryn grumbled as Koto continued her announcements. "'The son of Rylack lives up to his family's name'. No matter what, I can't even call my accomplishments my own."

Byakuya stared at Delryn. He was dressed as he usually had been, but since the beginning of the tournament he had accompanied his appearance with an expensive-looking silk scarf. "How amusing," he said in his calm, neutral tone.

Delryn glanced up at Byakuya with narrowed eyes, and he dressed himself in his armor. "What's that?"

"You are quite different from that other boy, Kain Lockeheart. While he worships his father's name, you seem to despise your heritage. How utterly base of you. The name of Rylack has importance and meaning…yet you treat it as if it is a burden, not a blessing."

"…What's that? I thought you and my dad didn't get along…."

"Aiden Rylack is a man with the disposition of a scoundrel," Byakuya explained. "He and I did not see eye-to-eye on most things. However, I acknowledge his skill, talent, and accomplishments. He has no nobility or legacy in his history, yet he made the name of Rylack into one that is to be respected and feared. To seek for one's own honor and glory is a worthy cause…yet to neglect to honor the name you carry, to refuse to acknowledge the inheritance that has benefited you is to trample upon the pride of that name. As the head of the Kuchiki clan, it is insulting to see such foolish neglect."

"Is that so?" Delryn shot back. "So, 'be thankful for what you have', eh? I never asked for any of this…true, I've benefited from my father's fame, from his wealth and works. But because of that, nothing I ever do is my own. If my name is an anchor weighing me down, I'll cut it off, and build my own name here."

"I see. As I said, there is no harm in seeking one's own place, in justifying one's existence. But for a pup like this to strike out so early, yet ignorant of the significance of the world his father walked…I will teach you the dearth of experience that you must overcome to take that road."

Delryn raised his sword. "Bring it, then…you're just the step I need to prove _my_ place."

Koto finally announced the start of the match…and Byakuya stepped past Aiden. His sword came out at that impossibly-fast speed…but Delryn managed to whirl around and parry the blow, and threw his attacker away. As Byakuya stared neutrally at him, Delryn explained, " _Senka_ … one of your signature moves. Using your _shunpo_ offensively with some _iaijutsu_ , to step in at lightning speed and critically or fatally wound your foe before he has a chance to do anything. It's incredibly well-trained…but I can see it. I've been studying it quite a lot for the past week or so, after all."

"I see…so you have not only watched my battles, but your father showed you _that thing_. You know many of my skills, then…but even if you have some skill, knowing my abilities does not mean that you can counter them." He raised his sword to a salute-like posture. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The blade melted into glistening pink petals, which began to swarm in on Delryn. Delryn watched them calmly. "Strike first, Raijin!"

In a flash, with his transformed sword in his hand, he was past Byakuya, far past his petals, and attacking the Soul Reaper's unprotected flank. Byakuya stepped away in retreat, avoiding the thrust, but Delryn pursued him almost instantly. However, he had to withdraw his attack before it was complete in order to avoid the swarm of Senbonzakura that was there to intercept him.

"Interesting," Byakuya murmured. "As rumored, you are a Soul Blade, a human with _zanpaku-tô_ -like powers. Your release greatly enhances your speed; quite appreciably so. However…."

Delryn again darted behind Byakuya and swung on him, but Byakuya turned and blocked the strike with his left arm. "Your speed means nothing if you cannot hit your opponent. You are strong, but your _ki_ is not strong enough to penetrate my own focused _reiatsu_ , let alone my more advanced defenses. You can spar with me, but if that is the extent of your power, you cannot dream of defeating me."

"I guess we'll have to see, won't we!?" Delryn shot back. He focused his power and began to drive his sword in, finally reaching and just starting to cut into Byakuya's flesh. He was again forced to withdraw, however, as the swarm of Byakuya's _Shikai_ came at him from behind.

As he hit the ground, Byakuya suddenly snapped out, " _Hadô_ 33: _Sôkatsusui_." A blast of blue flame fired from his outstretched hand, and Delryn was forced to retreat from this attack as well.

"We've got a pretty incredible duel going on here!" Koto declared. "I can barely follow what's going on! Kuchiki Byakuya, who so far was ended each of his fights with just a single invisible sword thrust, has been forced to release his sword against his old comrade's son, Delryn Rylack! Delryn is running circles around the _hinigami_ , but it seems he can't cause any damage to his foe! Is this just going to be one long-running stalemate, a test of endurance!?"

Byakuya seemed to dodge and block each of Delryn's strikes calmly, without emotion or apparent effort. Delryn was avoiding all of Byakuya's attacks with his speed, but because of that swiftly-moving cloud of death, he couldn't spend more than a moment in any of his attacks.

"Well, as long as I can keep attacking like this, eventually I'll find a weak spot in that defense of yours!" Delryn declared.

He retreated again…and this time, incredibly, Byakuya was standing behind him. He calmly put two fingers to Delryn's back before the young man realized what was happening. " _Hadô_ 1: _Sô_ (Thrust)." There was a blast of _reiatsu_ , and Delryn went sailing across the arena, bouncing and rolling. He managed to come to his feet, only to find the pink cloud engulfing him, and zipped into the air to escape that…but Byakuya was once again behind him, and backhanded him back down to the ground.

Byakuya settled back on the floor of the arena as Delryn wearily picked himself up. "Your speed is impressive, but do not drown in your pride yet," Byakuya cautioned him. "Even if it is beyond the level of a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, even if it is nearly the equivalent of a captain-class _hinigami_ 's flash step, it is still far from enough to overcome one with my skills. You do well, but you have no hope. This is simply a test of honor and base entertainment—there is no need to risk further injury or death here. You should surrender."

Delryn spat out a small bit of blood and rose with fire still burning in his eyes. "Really? Well, you're right…going at this with just my _Shikai_ is a bit silly. You're not someone I should expect to take down easily…you are, after all, one of the Red Wings."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this comment. "Oh? That means…."

"This is far from over," Delryn said. "I wanted to save the best for the finale, but you are Kuchiki Byakuya, after all…I can't really expect to do less than this." He raised his sword. _"Bankai_! Tenrô Raishin [Heavenly Wolf Thunder God]!"

A golden light engulfed Delryn and exploded outward. When it departed, there was…quite a visible change. Delryn's gauntlets that had always arrived as accompaniment to his armor were gone, and strange golden sigils burned visible on his palms, casting an obvious light. A single wing emerged from his back, hooking to the left, a rather strange skeletal frame with singed-looking dark golden feathers adorning it in a patchwork fashion, with a lighter golden flame-like light flicking over the surface of it. In contrast to his regal appearance, however, his sword was now astonishingly plain, almost worn-looking, with little more than leather scraps around its handle, a small and almost damaged guard, and a blade that seemed dull and aged. Yet Byakuya could now more clearly feel its power.

"So, you have already achieved your second release," he intoned. "But is that enough to cut me?"

Delryn stared at him. "Shall we find out?"

He advanced with that same remarkable speed, but Byakuya retreated swiftly. " _Hadô_ 4: _Byakurai_." The Soul Reaper's lightning ripped out towards Delryn, but the man vanished before the attack.

The boy came in at Byakuya again from the side, but the other man dodged back lightly and let his swarm flow around him and into Delryn's path. Delryn raised his off hand and the sigil in his hand flared brighter. A blast of bright light energy dispersed the cloud, and Delryn immediately pushed in again, swinging at Byakuya, whose blank face had become slightly shocked. Byakuya retreated with a step from this attack…but as he lighted back down on the arena floor, blood flowed lightly from a small wound in his lower torso.

"I've cut you," Delryn announced, settling across from him. "And that's just the first step."

Byakuya stared back, still calmly and devoid of emotion, his earlier surprise already gone. "So you have," he replied. "While this is an accomplishment, however, it is far from a victory." He raised his hand to the side and let the cloud of pink petals coalesce back into his blade. "Allow me to demonstrate."

"No, allow me!" Delryn charged in again. Byakuya blocked the blow with his sword. Again Delryn forced himself against the parry and eventually threw Byakuya away.

The Soul Reaper retreated to the air, and Delryn continued to pursue him. As he approached, Byakuya snapped out, " _Hadô_ 31: _Shakka-ho_." The blast forced Delryn back, and as he recovered, Byakuya followed it up with another spell that blasted him and forced him to the ground. Byakuya was on him in the next instant, and there was a fierce exchange of swordplay.

"A-and this fight is really getting intense!" crowed Koto. "Since he assumed that strange 'one-winged angel' form, Delryn Rylack has only gotten stronger and faster! Kuchiki Byakuya can't seem to keep up! But every time Delryn gets close to him, Kuchiki releases a _hinigami_ spell to counter! Which way is this fight going!?"

Koto was playing to the drama, but for Delryn, the answer was painfully obvious. _('I still…can't manage anything significant. I have just one chance…one trick I can try….')_

Delryn countered the next spell with a blast of golden flame from his off-hand, then pursued his attack. When Byakuya retreated, instead of pursuing, he launched another shot from his sigil, which Byakuya blocked with his usual _Dankû_ barrier. In response to this, Delryn stepped behind Byakuya. He reached out, not with his sword, but with his open hand, the sigil flaming with pulsing energy….

The hand closed over Byakuya's coat, but the captain was not in his _haori_. He reappeared some distance behind the shocked Delryn. " _Bakudô_ 61: _Rikujôkôrô_." Six rods of light intersected around Delryn's middle, freezing him in place.

"You have done well, Delryn Rylack," Byakuya intoned as the boy struggled against the spell. "Your _Bankai_ is impressive. Your sword-skills are well-honed, despite your youth. Your courage is exemplary. If you continue on this path, you will indeed bring honor to your own name. However, you are not yet at that point. I will show you now just how presumptuous you were…you did not, of course, forget that I, too, have a _Bankai_ …?"

Byakuya held his sword up, the point facing down, and released it. It fell into the arena floor, disappearing with a ripple as if it had been slowly, calmly dropped into a stream. And then the arena filled with the rows and rows of massive blades that flowed out of the ground behind. " _Bankai_. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Delryn could only watch helplessly as the mass descended upon him, engulfed him, covered him. Then it parted…the spell was gone, but Delryn was yet still and unmoving, too injured to stir, covered in wounds and blood. The sigils, the wing—all the semblance of that brilliant light he had been sporting were gone, and his armor was torn to shreds. He finally collapsed to his knees, refusing to fall, but unable to rise or move forward.

Byakuya stared at the lad. "Do not be ashamed. I did not hold back. You endured the full force of my _Bankai_ , and you retain not only your human form, not only your life, but even your pride and determination, even if that fragile form betrays you." He reached for his throat and plucked off the scarf around his neck, and tossed it over the boy. "I shall watch your progress with interest. Next I must educate a boy whose error is opposite…who clings too tightly to the image of his father."

Byakuya turned and began to walk away, his _Bankai_ swarming down and reforming as his sword inside its scabbard, as Koto hurried up onto the stage. "A-and it seems that it's over! K-Kuchiki Byakuya just unleashed…an amazing attack, and Delryn cannot even respond after it! He barely seems alive, so we'll quickly count! In the meantime, c-could someone get some medical help up here, please? O-one! Two!"

Kain watched without expression as the count finished, Delryn was loaded up by medics and carted away, and Byakuya disappeared into his chamber under the arena. "That was something," Kenjirô murmured to Kalan. "That Delryn guy isn't bad…to even have a _Bankai_ , he's definitely impressive, but Byakuya took him down without too much effort. Are you going to be ready for him?"

Kain smiled slightly. "We'll see," he murmured, then turned to his friend. "But you, first. This is the fight you've had your eye on. Are you ready for it?"

"Well…I wonder. I guess we'll see."

8-8-8

"Delryn- _san_ ," Nodoka murmured from her seat.

"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised," Ami replied. "Delryn- _san_ …he's strong, but…to compare him to a _hinigami_ captain like Kuchiki Byakuya…it's impossible…."

"As strong as he is, Del- _chan_ still can't match up to a captain-class _hinigami_ ," Momo sighed. "Still…to even have a _Bankai_ …he's really grown…."

"The son of that man…no, Delryn the swordsman still showed that he is a worthy warrior," Shinji pointed out. "During any other year, that might have been enough to win this tournament. It'll be worth watching your pupil develop, Momo…."

"That guy's _really_ scary," Lucy said. "Can…Kain really beat someone like him…?"

"What a silly question," Erza scoffed. "Haven't you seen it, Lucy? Well, I suppose we can't say for sure. But we still have a lot to see before we'll get there."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Byakuya vs. Delryn_

 _Each of the important battles in this piece will be a single chapter, along with any reaction to it. I'll be spotlighting the noncombatant members of the party a few at a time, one group of characters offering commentary on the match. The rule of these is that the speaking group members are all located near each other, and are usually playing off of each other's comments. Most of these separated groups of students are guarded by one or two Soul Reapers, as they are potential targets of both the law and the Obsidian Star._

 _I'm not even giving names or thoughts to most of the battles—with manga, unimportant characters appeared in a few snapshots of 'Nagi' and 'Kôjirô's tournament trek, but without pictures here, it's more trouble than it's worth to do anything more than the merest mention of meaningless battles, steps in the road of our champions. And so I made the first step here…Delryn against Byakuya._

 _Although I carefully calculated the proper seeding of the tournament, I positioned everyone in their ranks so that they would meet up according my predestined Deus Ex Machina points. But my ranking makes sense, at least with only a half-dozen fighters to make the comparison—Natsu is a Dragon Slayer, a famous mage from the most powerful mage guild of Fiore…still, it's a tiny country, so while he's in the upper third, 20_ _th_ _is about right for him. I also could have ranked him 4_ _th_ _, 5_ _th_ _, or 13_ _th_ _and he'd end up with the same destiny, but 20_ _th_ _sounds about right for him. Delryn is 15_ _th_ _—his showing was impressive, and he has that 'famous name', but he's still just a mostly unproven boy. 'Kôjirô' was an impressive partner of 'Kalan', but he got minus points because a few judges assumed he was just riding the coattails of his more famous partner, so 11_ _th_ _is a fine ranking for him—not quite the top ten, but on the edge. And 6_ _th_ _is a very famous fighter—one who hasn't been seen since he was seemingly killed by Kalan almost 25 yeas ago. Kôtarô Hanatabi has finally returned to the fighting scene, and seems not to have lost a step…but it has been a long time, and with the other impressive fighters here, 6_ _th_ _is the best he can do._

 _And so the top three: 'Kalan', Byakuya, and Aiden. Normally, Kalan would be #1 due to his unmatched skill, undefeated record, and the fame of his name, but there are_ TWO _members of the original Red Wings here…far more proven heroes. Aiden narrowly edged Byakuya for a variety of reasons, the major one probably being a slight prejudice simply towards the fact that Aiden is human and Byakuya is a mostly mysterious_ hinigami _._

 _Delryn was introduced with the intent of becoming a heroic friend addition, but I instantly decided his road to glory would end right here. Delryn's strong, but he's not in the top fold yet…and this is a painful lesson the proud young man needs. Byakuya does more than simply beat him down—he instructs him on his greatest flaw, more than his pride and (minor) lecherousness, his displeasure with being measured only against his legacy. Byakuya, a man who lives by the pride of his name as the head of an important noble house, is greatly displeased by this. He is far more than a match for Delryn, but allows him to try his hardest and demonstrate all his skills. As with Kain before, he fights without really pulling his punches—his final shot is a truly hard one, but one he feels Delryn is strong enough to take._

 _I wanted to make this fight rather similar to the Renji/Byakuya fight that I mostly skipped in the flashbacks…but I ended up deviating, which isn't terrible by any means. I like it when things grow out of my expectations as I write. Only the finish was similar—and completely appropriate. After taking all of Delryn's best, he finally paralyzes him and unleashes his full_ Bankai _on him for a finishing blow. Delryn's attempt right before this was his_ Bankai _'s 'ultimate attack'—well, I should phrase this again. Delryn (as the character was originally designed by his creator) originally was a paladin born with a fuse of 'holy light' power in his body, which had outlets through the sigils in his hands, and because of this magic light, he was declared a holy child and taken and raised by the church. This Delryn, of course, is far different, but creator Ryan thought Delryn's_ Bankai _could be a return to his light power. So he receives his sigils again as his main attack. One rule of_ Bankai _is that it has to be large in size and intensity, in some way or other…Ichigo's was the only one that seemed to be small, a normal blade, but even in his case his robe was technically part of his_ Bankai _. So I added a single flaming wing, an image of a wing consuming itself in flame. A single wing is similar to the 'one-winged angel' motif of Cloud and Sephiroth in FF7, and that single wing gives a 'fallen' or 'rebel' angel feel, especially since it's a self-consuming gold, not pure white. It fits Ryan's view of his characters—antihero-style. Although, as mentioned, my main reason to make it was simply to give a 'larger' feel to his_ Bankai _image._

 _Well, that's the deal this time. Now, it's time for Kenjirô to face up to some of his demons and history…._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Three: I Will Not Bow

Kain and Kenjirô watched from the wings as the 7th and 10th-ranked fighters battled for the right to lose to Byakuya in the next round. Then, finally….

"My turn," Kenjirô murmured. "Well, here goes nothing."

He started to walk out into the arena, but he stopped suddenly and glanced back at Kain. There was a glint in his eye, an intense fire. "That promise we made at the Festival," Kenjirô said. "I'm making it again. I'll see you in the next round, Kain…so wait for me there."

Kain stared for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Sure, Kenjirô," he replied. "I'll be waiting. Let's cross swords for real this time."

Kenjirô manifested his sword and walked out onto the arena floor as Koto began her usual introductory rants.

"And now we have something truly unique: two Blade _yôkai_ meeting together for the first time, both of the names famous—perhaps the most noteworthy members of their clan! First we have a famous fighter who has been missing from the public eye for over twenty years, but his feats are still legendary! The swordsman who once dominated the grand circuit of Granicus, a man whose skill and power rivaled the greatest of human mages! The legendary Blade _yôkai_ , Hanatabi Kôtarô!

"And his opponent is no less of a celebrity! The man who has dominated the most recent season of the Granicus League alongside his partner, whom you may have heard of: Kalan Lockeheart! Lest anyone believe that this man was merely basking in the shadow of his famed companion, we remind our audience that for a good month, while Kalan Lockeheart mysteriously disappeared, this man battled their foes, two-on-one, carrying the team all by himself and still without any traditional rest or recovery time! Using a style quite reminiscent of the man who came before him, this matchup has our judges, audience and experts all atwitter: who will proceed to join our quarterfinalists? Will it be the old generation…or the new? Presenting the new generation's Tanabi Kôjirô!"

Kôtarô was dressed in a fine silver _kimono_ , the rich robe of a rather traditional Japanese nobleman—it was probable, with the _yôkai_ blood in him and the legend behind him, that he had lived through the times of its common use. Kenjirô, on the other hand, was in a simple black sweater and black slacks. Both carried their swords of choice, long katana, and both wore their hair in their ponytails, Kenjirô's short, and Kôtarô's rather long.

"I have nothing to say to you," Kôtarô remarked to Kenjirô's surprise. "All I will say is that I won't go easy on you. I won't hold back at all—I expect you to match me. It is, after all, the duty of the rising generation to surpass the old."

Kenjirô held his surprised look for a moment, then allowed himself a small smile. "All right. That's fair. Let's settle this as Blade demons…we'll talk with our swords."

Finally Koto called the start of the match, and the two swordsmen came together….

8-8-8

Yukari sat next to Kazumi and stared down at the match. The other three were above in the VIP boxes, serving, but Yukari had been granted a convenient break and had joined her friend for this most important fight. She watched the two men duel, their swords flashing and slashing, ringing from their impacts and motion. The deadly beautiful dance was instinctive and choreographed, two eerily-similar swordsmen employing the near-exact same techniques, attacks, counters, and defenses. She watched them, and she recalled her conversation with Kenjirô just the day before….

 _[Yukari greeted Kenjirô as he came into the competitor's tunnel and offered him the towel to wipe down his sweat. With hardly a word, she next grabbed bandages and applied them to Kenjirô's wounded forearm. "You did well," she congratulated him, but there was a slight emptiness evident in her words._

 _"Not really…I slipped up and let him cut me. Shouldn't have happened." He stopped and glanced down at Yukari. "…What's up? You seem bothered by something."_

 _"Well…it's about…your next match…you'll have to face that man…Hanatabi Kôtarô-_ san _, right?"_

 _"Yes, that's true…my hardest battle yet."_

 _"Well…no…more than that…isn't that man…?"_

 _"He's my father. Probably. So?"_

 _Yukari stared, surprised at Kenjirô's callousness. "S-so!? B-but…!"_

 _"I've never known him before in my entire life. But my mother told me that my father was Hanatabi Kôtarô. She told me about him. He appeared near her village one night, nearly twenty-five years ago, mortally wounded…apparently just after trying to fight Kalan Lockeheart in a deathmatch. My mother was only ten years old at the time. Despite the protests of many of the other villagers, she began to care for him and nurse him back to health, even convincing her family to help her move him into their house, where he lay bed-ridden for several years. A short time before I was born, he had finally recovered enough to leave the village. I've never met him once, I've only heard his name—the name of one of the most powerful and feared_ yôkai _in the world."_

 _"I-I'm sorry," Yukari offered after a short silence. "I-I mean…that must be…."_

 _"It doesn't mean anything," Kenjirô denied, silencing her with a wave. "There's nothing to apologize for, and I don't hate or blame him for anything. I understand quite well who and what he was, even if I've never spoken to him…it's in my blood, after all. The bastard half-demon son…I was feared and despised in the village of my birth. I can only imagine what my father went through. I knew I didn't belong there, and I know he didn't either. We are Blade_ yôkai _…we are vagabonds, warriors, those who know nothing but the blade and blood and fighting. To stay, settle down, raise a son in that environment, in a quiet, backwater village of hostile humans…it couldn't happen. He endured the oppression for ten years, and I endured it for less before leaving the village to make my own way in the world. I feel nothing of this upcoming fight. No, that isn't true," he corrected himself suddenly. "I feel a bit of trepidation and anticipation…this is the most intense fight I'll have seen yet. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to surpass the original…even if he's now a ghost of his former self, Hanatabi Kôtarô is one of the mightiest warriors to walk this world in the past few centuries, and maybe longer. Still…if I want to go on to fight Kain, I can't lose here…."_

 _Yukari was quiet again for several moments. "Nothing, really?" she asked softly. "Family ties…really mean nothing to you? You believe you wouldn't have been better off if he hadn't left your mother, pregnant with you?"_

 _"Better off…who can say?" Kenjirô smiled slightly. "Do you…like me, Yukari-_ san _?"_

 _This question caused Yukari to elicit a shriek of panic. "W-w-w-w-what are you talking abooouuut…? I-I-I-I mean I, I see you as a friend, a-a-and you're a very important support for me, along with Kain-_ sensei _, but…."_

 _Kenjirô chuckled slightly. "I'm not as naïve or tactless or clueless as I appear, Yukari-_ san _. When I first started hanging out with Kain at Mahora, I needled him about his harem. I belittled him for letting 'girl problems' get in the way of his potential, his training, his fighting…in the way of being my rival. But after spending months with him, training with him, training with the rest of those girls…I began to understand him, and them, a little more. It's easy for me to reject the idea. I am not human, Yukari-_ san _, no matter how I look. Oh, we're built mostly the same, and I, myself, am half-human. But, instinctively, I have different drives and motivations than normal humans, and I understand that my father is that way and more. I saw a little of that for myself recently. It could be…any number of things, but the fact that Kain could be my rival and also be so distracted by women was…demeaning to me, somehow. But after all this time, I've come to know him and them. Whatever someone might say about teenage girls besides, it's easy to see why so many of your classmates idolize him, worship him, wish they could get close to him. He's a marvelous young man, and he's so very kind to everyone…he cares about people, probably too much. He can't turn his back on any of you, he can't ignore human relationships like I can, like I have. We're the same—we've both lived all our lives without our fathers, but while he desperately struggles to find any connection to that man, I never cared anything one way or the other about mine. It is how it is."_

 _Kenjirô manifested his sword. "This is me…this is my soul. Beautiful, perhaps, to some, but sharp, hard, deadly, with only one useable purpose…a sword is a weapon for fighting men, whatever motives you want to assign to a man's battle, be it killing or defense. It cannot effectively be used to hunt, as the bow or spear, it cannot serve as a tool like an axe or a flail. It is solely a weapon created so that humanoid creatures could battle and kill each other. And my essence is built around that. As my father's was._ That _is the one thing you've always refused to understand about me, Yukari-_ san _._

 _"Of course, I'm not heartless or completely devoid of emotion, but I can separate myself from those connections more easily. Kain ignored all the girls around him because he couldn't stand to hurt anyone…all those girls pining for him, following him, striving to live his dream. And then there's you. While everyone else is focusing on Kain, you're always supporting me, looking up to me, confiding in me. You respect Kain, sure, but here I am, just a friend of his, someone you briefly met and helped out, and…you're paying more attention to me than him?" He shook his head. "I see, although I don't really understand. Some of you girls seem like you'd rather gnaw your own arm off than admit those feelings out loud, especially to the person involved. But I see all the same, and I…well, because I'm not human, I can put those thoughts aside, I can simply ignore them because they…are not a part of my nature. I'm just saying this…if you really want to keep following me, walking beside me, you should…understand about me. And you shouldn't misunderstand what this means to me. But I will say this…I'm doing this to win your freedom, Yukari-_ san _. I won't leave you like this, no matter what happens. That's my promise to you."]_

Yukari's mind returned to the present and she stared at the match below. _('You dummy. I do understand…what you are, and what this means. Acting all cool, all composed…that's not like you at all, you know. You might not even realize it, but you're acting totally different because of your dad. You think that human emotions don't mean anything to you…I don't know if it's because you're half-human, or you_ yôkai _have more human feelings than you admit, but you're as emotional as any of us. You may not have thought about your father before…but now he's here, and part of you wants to be just like him. You want to be the man who follows after him, the perfect warrior. And now…look at you…throwing yourself into the battle, fighting just to fight. I can see it…winning doesn't matter, losing doesn't matter, killing doesn't matter, dying doesn't matter, living doesn't matter, and not killing doesn't matter. It's just the fight…you and your dad…._

 _('Yes, Kenjirô_ -kun _, I am in love with you. Kain-_ sensei _is amazing, but…from the moment we first found you, something about you…just fascinated me. You're the real reason, the only real reason why I came to this world in the first place. Maybe this is my sin, for falling in love with someone not quite human, but if so, then I will bear it. I will stay with you, follow after you, as long as I can…and I will continue to believe in you…so please…don't die, Kenjirô-_ kun _….')_

8-8-8

The blades hummed as they tore through the air in this dance. They seemed to emanate the emotions they must have felt; there was a stir, a pressure, a pulse in the atmosphere from these two similar swordsmen, at this moment even equal in size. They were both experienced fighters, creatures born to do battle, creatures made up of fighting in their very blood. Yet in all their training, all their fighting, all their battles, they had never fought anyone just like themselves. They had crossed blades with swordsmen aplenty, but never against one whose soul and nature were so similar, never against another like themselves, whose true power and skill was entirely instinct.

But now, here they were, mirror images of each other, copies in power, in skill, in instinct. They had found, as it were, equals, soul mates, kin that had been lost since ages past. And yet despite this similarity, this kinship, the ignorant audience could not even imagine that they were related, father and son. The idea that a father and son could fight in this way, devoid of any emotion or sentiment except for the joy of pure fighting, was impossible for most of the people there to even conceive.

A wound here, a cut there—for the most part, very little damage was inflicted by the two warriors in the initial stages of the battle. The brilliance of their swordplay and their rhythm with each other prevented it. Eventually, however, they broke off…and then, without a word, without any sign, they both changed. Kenjirô's hair exploded white and long and rigid, Kôtarô's own white hair took on a similar appearance, and both had an intense bright red hue overcome their skin. Then, again in eerie synchrony, they leapt into battle once more. The intensity was redoubled, increased fourfold, more. Each clash of the blades was like a thunderclap, each swing swirling a storm around the ring. Two demons at the height of their powers….

But a few eyes, experienced with Kenjirô and the limits of his fighting, knew that the battle was becoming less and less equal by the moment.

"He can't keep that up," murmured Momo. "His still-mortal body has grown, but it isn't capable of controlling that level of _yôki_ for extended periods. Kenjirô- _kun_ can't win like this…."

"He isn't fighting to win," observed Shinji. "That's his problem."

Indeed, finally in one exchange Kenjirô faltered slightly, just for an instant, and Kôtarô acted without hesitation. He reached out, grabbing Kenjirô by the face, and with one hand threw him savagely to the ground. Kenjirô's face bounced off the tiled floor, and almost immediately he stepped away, looking up keenly despite the blood running down his face…but Kôtarô was already on him. Kenjirô barely parried two swift strikes and then was defenseless as Kôtarô's swift sidekick sent him flying again. Before he could recover the older demon stepped behind him, caught him, and looped his sword around to poise it by Kenjirô's throat. "Is that really all?" Kôtarô murmured. "I thought you could go farther."

Growling, Kenjirô brought his sword back expertly to latch onto his father's blade and pushed off. Kôtarô immediately followed up by releasing a blast of sword pressure at his son. Kenjirô caught the attack, but it shoved him roughly to the edge of the arena. Kenjirô finally stopped and fell to one knee, panting. The surge of energy around him was noticeably smaller than it was before, quite mild compared to the storm Kôtarô still emanated.

"You did well, boy," Kôtarô said. "But your mortal form has reached its limit. This was a truly grand fight, the likes of which I've never experienced before, but the fight is over. At this point, it will simply be a slaughter. You should surrender."

The words numbed Kenjirô. Nothing had been on his mind but the battle—everything else had fled, but now, with this declaration, Kôtarô brought Kenjirô's humanity flooding back to him. Painful memories of his last great failure avalanched into his mind. Then he shoved them aside, walling them behind his rage and intensity as he lurched to his feet and charged towards his foe.

Kôtarô waited for several seconds, then suddenly dashed in. With a step he slipped right past Kenjirô's guard and slashed him across his chest. Then he ducked under the blood spray that gushed out and walked calmly past the man as he fell, letting the tip of his sword dip towards the ground casually. Kenjirô fell, slowly, to his knees, then his face, the color draining from (or in some cases to) his skin and hair. He lay still on the ground.

"A-and it seems that Hanatabi Kôtarô has defeated his foe! That shot looked pretty final, so I will immediately begin the count! He has until fifteen to rise! One! Two!"

Kenjirô's friends looked on in horror and dismay. "Kenjirô- _kun_ …" murmured Kazumi.

"No…Kenjirô…" whispered Yukari.

"K-Kenjirô- _kun_!" demanded Hinagiku.

"Kenji…" sighed Kajirô.

"Is that it, Kenjirô?" growled Kain.

8-8-8

 _["_ Kaze no Kizu _!" declared Inuyasha, sending his Wind Scar screaming towards Kenjirô._

 _The young_ yôkai _leapt over the attack, but then Momo stepped up to him. "Snap, Tobiume!" she declared._

 _Kenjirô blocked the fireball, but the then the snake-sword came lashing out towards him. "Howl, Zabimaru!" roared Renji._

 _Kenjirô was sent flying into one of the rock pillars in the landscape. "Wooo," murmured Kisuke from his seat nearby, behind his fan._

 _Kenjirô kicked a rock aside and hopped down from the site of his impact, seemingly none the worse for wear. He spat out a spot of blood and turned back to his opponents. "All right," he said. "Let's go again."_

 _"Are you sure about this, Kenjirô-_ kun _?" Momo asked carefully. "You already had your match today…should you really be pushing yourself so hard, against three of us…?"_

 _"I have to," Kenjirô snapped back curtly. "It's my last chance. Tomorrow, I go up against my first real opponent…the road thus far was easy by comparison. Tomorrow is the first real chance that I'll lose…hell, I could even die. It's not much, not much time, but I have to push as hard as I can. Don't worry about hurting me. Kagome-_ san _is here…she can heal me up as much as I need."_

 _"If that's the way you want it," Inuyasha grunted, raising his massive sword._

 _"I-is it really that bad, Kenjirô-_ kun _?" asked Kazumi suddenly. "I mean…is your chance of winning…against your father…so low…?"_

 _Kenjirô was silent for a moment. "Well, you could say there's a reason he's the 6_ _th_ _seed and I'm the 11_ _th_ _," he remarked finally. "But you saw Aiden's movie, right? He was a man who could severely injure even Kalan Lockeheart, Kain's father. Well, of course he got messed up pretty bad in return…now he's probably only a shell of his former self. But he's still beyond me. I can't beat him as I am now."_

 _"I-is that really that bad?" Kazumi repeated. "You don't…have to push yourself so hard. I know you want to save Yukari-_ chan _and the others, but…you don't have to take the burden yourself. You and Kain-_ sensei _are both working so hard…as long as one of you makes it…can't you just leave it to him?"_

 _Renji gave a grunt. He began to open his mouth, but Kenjirô held up a hand to forestall him. "It's all right, Abarai-_ san _. You're right, Kazumi -_ san _. Kain is reliable. He's stronger than I am…I can believe in him. But that's not enough for me. I have to do everything I can. I'm not going to give up this time. I'm not going to stop. I'm going out there to win…I'm going as far as I can." He turned back to his three opponents. "Let's keep going. I'm far from finished."_

 _"He's got a long road ahead of him," Lina noted to Kain as they watched from far back, next to Kisuke. "He's only a_ hanyô _…and he's not like Inuyasha. The dog-boy inherited a similar amount of power he couldn't hold, but his body also developed a couple outs, such as the moments of mortality he gets at the new moon. Most importantly, his father made that magnificent sword for him. Kenjirô can embrace all the power inside him and rise to a near-full_ yôkai _in power, but his mortal body just can't handle it…."_

 _"Even if that's so, there's nothing we gain by worrying," Kain replied quietly. "But Kenjirô's grown ridiculously strong himself over the past couple months, engaging in those constant full-strength battles by himself. He's grown…and if he fights the way he can…he should have a good chance…._

 _"Besides…he made me a promise…a promise he can't break twice."_

8-8-8

It was somewhat anticlimactic, really…while groups of the crowd were shouting Kôtarô's name in victory, Kenjirô's friends murmured his name, his real, rather secret name, only quietly…but their intensity was real.

"Stand up, Kenjirô," Kain said quietly. "You aren't done yet. You played around, but you haven't even started."

"Eight! Nine!"

"You promised me you'd move on. You aren't going to give up now, are you, without even showing your full potential?"

"Eleven! Twel…!"

Kenjirô twitched. He started to push himself up, slowly, painfully, then, with a sudden burst of energy that began to flare around him, he came to his knees and then his feet. He still carried his sword in his right hand, and in his left, he held a tiny rectangle…his contract card.

"Ah! Tanabi Kôjirô has made it to his feet! The match continues! So, I better back off again…."

Koto slipped off the arena floor and ducked down to use the raised platform (two feet above the grassy field surrounding the tiled slab) as a shield as she observed. Kôtarô slowly turned around to stare at Kenjirô as he stood there. His wound was still there, but the blood flow had stopped. The man-boy was also still in his human form, black-haired and fair-skinned. He began to raise his card. "Unsheathe," he said quietly, and his second sword appeared in his hand, crackling with electricity.

"You still want to go?" Kôtarô asked him. "I admire your willpower and tenacity. But even if that power you inherited from that contract saved you from that wound, you're still too injured to use your full power anymore. Can you really beat me like that?"

"It's not my full power," Kenjirô replied. "It's not even my power. It's yours, what I got from you, but which I'm not made for. This is my power…this sword, and the power of my contract with him…my best friend. Before, I was fighting just to fight…I was caught up in the fact that I was here with you. But I'm not a full Blade _Yôkai_. The fight isn't everything to me…not this time. For Yukari- _san_ …for Kain…and for myself…I'm not here to fight. I'm not going to break just because I had a good fight. I'm going to win. I can't lose here. I have to win!"

Kenjirô charged in. Kôtarô suddenly manifested a second, smaller sword to match his son's twin blades. Again there was a clash…but this time there was no synchrony in the strikes. There was a harmony in the duel, but Kenjirô's style was completely different this time. He was no longer the ghost of his father, inherited instincts…he became the sum of his experiences and previous battles. Kôtarô Hanatabi, the Blade _Yôkai_ , had no need of training or learning with the sword—he had known fighting and how to fight from his youth up, his very nature making him a deadly fighter who never stopped learning and growing powerful. But while Kenjirô had inherited some of that nature, half of him was human—and he was a human among humans, a man who had been working and training with Kain, Kajirô, Hikaru, and others. His fighting style was not his father's…it was his own. He did not have the _yôkai_ 's full power, but he had the power of the contract and his own artifact to boost him.

He began to push Kôtarô back. A swing of his left-hand sword brought a blast of electricity out, and Kôtarô was forced to dodge into the air. Kenjirô stepped behind him and swung both swords. The older man turned in time to parry both. Then Kenjirô shoved his father away and gathered his energy. Crossing his swords, he delivered his attack. " _Yôtôjutsu Kenjiryû Ôgi: Tenrô Raiga_ [Demon-Blade Style, Kenji-School Ultimate Technique: Heaven-Descending Thunder Fang]!" Kenjirô dropped like a bolt of lightning upon the falling _yôkai_ , driving him down and into the ground, blasting him with violent energy.

Kenjirô bounced back immediately and readied himself. Kôtarô lay there, however, unmoving.

Koto waited a moment, but as it appeared to be safe, she climbed back onto the stage. "W-what a reversal! After it seemed that the older Blade demon had completely dominated his _kohai_ , Kôjirô underwent an amazing recovery, completely changed his fighting style—rather, returning to that style we're more familiar with—and seems to have turned everything around! Kôtarô is not moving, so we'll begin his count! One! Two!"

Kenjirô walked slowly over and stared down at the unmoving man. He considered him carefully as the count continued.

8-8-8

 _('What is the origin of_ yôkai _? They are mysteries. Of course, every race has legends of their origin, religious or scientific, but_ yôkai _are different than most of those. They are intensely magical, but with a magic that is different from that normally found in the atmosphere of the magical world and used commonly by all the other races. They have a wide variety of appearances, powers, and natures, and yet are connected by the power that they contain, the unique_ yôki _that is neither normal magic, nor the demonic energies of the_ mazoku _or Infernals._

 _('Although their powers are unique, the origins of the_ yôkai _are not so mysterious. Animal_ yôkai _arose from living creatures that came too close to sources of magic, to supernatural phenomena, who embraced and lapped up and consumed strange magics, evolving them. Through various means—reproduction with similar creatures, evolution through magic, cursed wounds inflicted upon humans—these original creatures eventually became the_ yôkai _races that populated Arcanus Myrror._

 _('Blade_ Yôkai _are similar, but rarer. The first Blade demon arose from a human weapon. It was not, at first, magical, it was not constructed with any spell or magic save that possessed by all who knew the secret of iron and steel. But it was a fine blade, coveted by many in the ancient world where the sword was the only law. It passed from hand to hand—almost never without violence—until it was bathed in the blood of some creature of dark power, whether_ yôkai _or_ mazoku _is still unknown, and unimportant. From this history, the feelings of those who wielded it, their actions, the blood they spilled, and finally from its final victim, a soul awoke in that blade…and so the first came to be. It is hard to say what a 'true' Blade demon is, however, as these humanoid forms that came to life originally from fashioned steel would eventually continue their line through the normal means of humanoids—and as there were not too many of their kind to begin with, they would bear offspring with humans, different_ yôkai _, other races besides. Their progeny continued to wield the power of the sword, however, and in time evolved into beings not very dissimilar from those_ yôkai _that were born from the animal origins._

 _('And so by my father's time they were a true race, rare, but a race nonetheless, and my father was the greatest among them. And then, through twists of fate, I was born, from him and the human woman who finally wooed him after so much time. I inherited all the power of the_ yôki _but the frailties of the human form, and was born into a world of humans—those around were my lesser kin, not my greater._

 _('And because of that I was despised. Humanity was a dark, ugly, twisted creature that despised me because I was different, and then despised me more because I was partly the same. So I turned my back on it. I didn't come to hate humanity, or seek revenge for how I was treated—I did not really become mistrustful or jaded. I simply turned off that part of me and embraced the demon side, the song of the blade in my heart, the call to fight, and fight, and live by fulfilling what we instinctively know is our ultimate purpose. Not killing—although swords were made for war, for battle, for killing humans, true swords, those from which we ultimately are formed, were forged and honed with love and dedication. The true swordsmiths always honored their blades, and the true swordsmen always respected their skills, and few delighted in outright bloodshed (the rule, true, to which there are exceptions, but the rule nonetheless)._

 _('And so that became my purpose—to fight, and grow stronger, not for any goal, not for demons, humans, my father, myself, or anything, but simply because that's what I was. I didn't care if I lived a dozen years or a hundred, if I served the Obsidian Star or the Magic Council…I longed to fight, particularly strong and worthy and notable opponents. And so fate led me to Kain._

 _('And Akari. And Yukari, Kazumi, and Matake. To Hinagiku, Kajirô, Hikaru, Momo, and all the rest. To humans. Even now I'm still a creature fighting to decide if I am one thing or another. But now…after all this time…in this place…having found those who are, racially, my kin, and emotionally, my family…I feel that being human isn't so bad after all….')_

8-8-8

"Twelve! Thirteen!"

Kôtarô's eyes had been open all the time, but vacant, unseeing. Finally light seemed to return to them, and he sat up as the count limit approached…but he did not rise, and the count finished. Both swords lay broken, one on either side of him. "Marvelous," he said. "You have fulfilled your goal, young swordsman. Was defeating me so very important to you?"

"Don't be so arrogant," Kenjirô replied. He helped Kôtarô to his feet and began to guide him back to the fighters' tunnel as Koto proclaimed him the victor. "You don't matter at all. With the same fervor would I fight anyone as strong as you, or stronger, or nearly as strong, if they were in my way. I have a friend to save and a friend to meet…and you were in the way of both. That's all. There was no revenge, or anything for me.

"I never hated you, never blamed you…I always felt that the sword within me understood you, and so I never dreamed or feared finding you. It was just _what is_."

Kenjirô laughed suddenly. "Although that wasn't true for a bit there during the fight. That first battle, before you cut me down…that was all about you, just for that moment."

Kôtarô smiled. "That is enough, all on its own…that brings a surprising amount of peace. After I left, when I heard about you and realized I had left her a son, I did think of you. But I could never really be a father to you."

"No. That's not how you're made. But all the same, I've now come to not just accept you…I can be grateful to you. Grateful that I was born, and I have you to thank for that. I'm grateful for my power I've inherited…and so very grateful, now, for the human I've inherited. I have a life…and it isn't so bad."

Kôtarô chuckled and forced the younger man to release him. "That is gratifying. You have ended up in a good world, one that is perfect for you, that I could never give you. That is all any father needs." He walked under his own power past Kain and the other gathering fighters and away, swiftly disappearing from sight.

Kain glanced back after the man, then turned to Kenjirô almost quizzically. "We've said all we needed to say. You're the one who wanted it, but I'm the one who got it…all that I needed, and more. My other fondest wish is about to be granted." He clapped Kain on the shoulder. "I think this will be the last time, and it will be enough for me. From then on, I'll just live."

Kain's quizzical expression didn't fade. "If you say so," he replied, with only an inkling of understanding. "But, from myself, and Yukari- _san_ …thank you for keeping your promise."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Kenjirô's Ascension_

 _Again, this was a plan I've had stirring for a very, very long time…something I did especially for this character. Kôtarô, the original wolf-demon rival of Negi, had no parentage at all, and it was of no significance. My original Kenjirô—who was initially fashioned from the worlds of Inuyasha and YuYu Hakusho—took great stock of his heritage. He was weighed down (in a different way than Inuyasha) by the fact that he was a half-demon. So even with him evolving due to the original character, Kôtarô, his parentage becomes an important part of him…thus the whole 'Kalan vs. Kôtarô,' and now, Kenjirô meeting—and fighting—his father._

 _Thus his evolution comes full circle. Initially, I expressed concern that the Kenjirô I invented was a little overwritten by the Kôtarô I was replacing. Now, however, Kenjirô has truly become Kenjirô. He's not the same I originally fashioned, but he is now his own person._

 _Well, onward we go! Time to wrap up the 3_ _rd_ _day of the tournament!_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Four: Amaranth

"What's with the crowd's noise?" Yue murmured. "That is…."

"Well, it's getting to the third round!" shouted Irina excitedly. "The first two were really just more of the preliminaries. There are a couple notable fights in this round. Delryn Rylack against Kuchiki Byakuya! Hanatabi Kôtarô versus Tanabi Kôjirô! There's rumors about that second one…Hanatabi Kôtarô is a famous warrior and swordsman, but he disappeared for over twenty years…the rumors say he fell in battle to Kalan Lockeheart. And now, this new Kalan Lockeheart has arisen…and his constant companion in the Granicus Cup was Tanabi Kôjirô, who seems to be a Blade demon with powers identical to Hanatabi Kôtarô's! It's like he's a long-lost son or something…." Irina sighed. "Why did we have to draw the security detail at this time? Nina- _chan_ has no luck…."

"Be quiet," Nina growled. "Focus on your work properly. It's imperative that we do our duty and do not shame the HiME. With everyone so lax because of this tournament, dissidents and terrorists could strike at any moment."

"Not likely," Shiho muttered. "Even the dissidents and terrorists are probably watching this tournament…."

"I almost wish something would happen," Arika groaned. "I'm so bored…."

"Be quiet and do your duty!"

 _('Those names are familiar, too…of course…Kain Lockeheart…I must have known that 'Kôjirô', too…right…?_

 _('Ah…I wish I could remember….')_

8-8-8

"Kain- _sensei_!"

Kain started as he left the arena. He turned…and there they were. Akari, Kiami, Hikaru, Nanami, Minsc and Aerie. "Ah! You're back! Does that mean…?"

"Yeah…we found it," Nanami affirmed. "We weren't the only ones, either. That one member of the Obsidian Star…Dynamis, I think? We saw him out there, too…he ended up taking out a lot of the Halteese security in the area, so he indirectly helped, but still…." Nanami shivered. "That wasn't a sight to see. He nearly spotted us, too. Anyway, the Gate's found…and I guess _they_ want it as well."

"I'm not surprised," Kain muttered. "Eminus' plan said mostly the same thing…." He shook his head. "In any case, if you guys have completed the mission, all the better…."

"That's right," Kenjirô agreed with a smile. "You're in time for the best of the fights. Tomorrow…what a day that will be." He clapped Kain on the shoulder. "I'm going on ahead. You catch up with them."

"Ah…he advanced, then?" Nanami asked curiously as Kenjirô departed. "I've been keeping up with the tournament as I could. I haven't heard anything about today's matches, though. How'd it go?"

"Most of the favored advanced, of course. Natsu was one of the upsets…he's pretty frightening, really. Kenjirô did take down his father, yes…so we'll be fighting tomorrow."

"What about Delryn- _san_?" Hikaru asked. "He was going against Kuchiki Byakuya, right…?"

"Yeah. He did well. But he was no match for him."

"Eh?" Akari started. "Delryn- _san_ …he lost? W-where is he now?"

"I'm not sure…I had to stay in the barracks because of my own fight…the medic team carted him away, so he's probably still in the infirmary…."

"T-the infirmary!?"

8-8-8

Akari met Kagome and Momo at the door of Delryn's room. The three of them tentatively entered. The man was lying there, wrapped in bandages, staring away from the door.

"Del- _chan_?" Kagome offered.

Delryn glanced back their way. "Well…what a popular man I am. Sympathy visits are enough to bring three ladies to my door. Come on in, then."

"You seem to be recovering well," Momo remarked. "After that attack you took, I'm surprised you're even awake."

"Thanks. Yeah, I can't do anything, but I can take a hit. That's one thing I have going for me…."

Kagome stepped forward. "Here, let me…if I use Tenseiga, you'll be fixed up as good as new in no time…."

"Don't bother. I'm done fighting here. Save that kind of thing for someone who really needs it."

"But…."

"It's not like I'm crippled. I'll live. Just let it go, Kagome."

"B-but we might need your help," Akari objected. "I mean, the Obsidian Star's still there, just waiting around the corner for us…we never know when they could attack again…."

Delryn scoffed. "Who cares? It's not like there'd be anything I could do even if I was healthy. With guys like Byakuya and my dad around, and Kain Lockeheart, son of the hero, why do you need me?"

"D-Delryn- _san_!"

"That's enough." He turned away. "I'm tired. Just let me be."

As Kagome and Akari began to sputter, Momo suddenly said, "C'mon. We should go…let him be."

She began to leave, and Kagome reluctantly followed her, but Akari resisted the urging. "As if," she muttered.

She stalked past her fellows and over to Delryn, who glanced back up at her in surprise. Akari slapped Delryn—not with the palm of her hand, like an insulted female, but with the backhand of contempt. "Are you really that shallow!? You suffer one little setback, you get beat once, and you just want to give up!? You're worse than Kenjirô- _kun_!

"Do you even have any idea how blessed you really are? Do you think it'd be _better_ for you if you didn't have that super-important father looming over you!? Do you think you even have the right to think like that? When Kain- _sensei_ …Kenjirô- _kun…_ me, and Kiami and Hikaru- _kun_ …Kagome- _chan_ …Hinagiku- _san_ …Tear- _senpai_ and Rin- _senpai_ …all of us have gone without one or both of our parents nearly our entire lives. I'm not complaining—we've all had people to support us as well…but don't you find anything wrong with the fact that you want to get away from the one thing some of us only dream about?

"And so the only thing you can do to escape that shadow is make a name for yourself…but one defeat and you go to pieces. What kind of a warrior are you? Someone who only wants to fight when he's winning isn't a warrior…he's just a bully. When I first met you, when I saw you in battle…I was amazed, honestly. I'd trained with Kain- _sensei_ and all the rest for some time, but in you, I saw true fighting instincts, natural talent, and painstaking skill. It was different than Kenjirô- _kun_ , the Blade _Yôkai_ …in you, I saw the fighter who had combined all three keys of talent, painstaking labor, and desire. I thought you had the complete package…."

Akari shook her head and stepped back, turning around. "But I was wrong. I guess you were missing the most important thing of all: someone above you to show you how far you still have to grow. Your dad obviously didn't kick your butt enough when you were little. If that's the first time you've even had someone tan you, I guess it's no surprise you might react like that…and if you're really going to just drop everything now, all the rest of those wonderful gifts you were given have completely gone to waste. It's painful to watch." And she finally stalked out, past Kagome and Momo, who had stopped at the doorway to stare at this tirade. They exchanged a quick glance and swiftly slipped away after their friend, leaving Delryn alone in the room, staring dumbfounded after them. Finally he reached up to massage his jaw.

A woman had been leaning against the wall just next to the door, going rather unnoticed. She smiled slightly and finally entered the room with the softness of a cat. Delryn spotted her immediately and froze as she approached.

She was older, probably nearing forty, but was still quite beautiful, with long black hair and brown skin. She was fairly short, although taller than any of the Japanese ladies that had just left, and possessed with some of the plumpness that accompanied middle-aged mothers. "Mom…" Delryn muttered.

"She's quite an interesting one. Seems she can hit, too," remarked Iria Rylack, mother of Delryn and wife of Aiden.

"Ah, yeah…." Delryn looked away. "I guess so…."

Iria walked over and sat next to him on the bed. "I think she's right, too…really, your father could have beaten you a little more. But what's done is done." Iria smiled slightly. "I would have done it myself if I didn't think that it was his job, but…well, to be honest, it's somewhat amusing to think of what led you to this tournament in the first place. Your father never worked hard at teaching you fighting or advanced magic _because_ he never wanted to make it seem like you had to follow in his footsteps. He didn't want you to grow up to be a copy of him, or to have great expectations on you just because he was your father. But you went and inherited those expectations anyway, you took them upon yourself and noticed them…a little too much.

"Maybe if he had taken a more stern hand in raising you, you would have had, as that dear girl put it so aptly, 'someone above you to grow to', or whatever. Regardless, you have grown into a fine young man…and goodness, are you young. Even if you fall, you have plenty of time to get back up on your feet."

"Yeah…maybe. That's easy to say. It's harder to see when there are so many talented kids around just like me who haven't fallen…."

"Do you really think so? That girl, there—you think she hasn't fallen a time or two? Sounds like she has a lot of experience with it. There isn't a soul on either of these worlds who doesn't fall again and again and again. There isn't any flower that blooms forever without sorrow. Tell me, Del…do you remember the origin of your name?"

"Of course. 'Delryn' comes from Old French, a variant of Delroy, meaning 'Son of the King'. Dad's mentioned it a time or two."

"Yes, that is true. That's why _he_ named you Delryn. But words can have different meanings in different languages. In Old Elven, it means 'Amaranth'. It is their name for the flower, and has the same original meaning that the Greek derivation we use does—the 'unwilting'. Although not as well-known amongst novices, the amaranth was adored and praised by the ancients of Earth because of its resilience and how it did not fade swiftly as other flowers did, and it even came to symbolize immortality. In his _Paradise Lost_ , Milton proclaimed:

'Immortal maranth, a flower which once

In paradise, fast by the tree of life,

Began to bloom, but soon for man's offence

To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows,

And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life,

And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven

Rolls o'er elysian flowers her amber stream:

With these that never fade the spirits elect

Bind their resplendent locks.'"

Iria was silent a moment, then continued, "Your father was already a broken man by the time I met him. He never showed it openly, but as I came to know him I learned of his past and understood it: the tragedies he had to endure to earn the moniker 'The Mage-Killer' by the tender age of seventeen, and then, of course, all he suffered and did in the war alongside Kalan Lockeheart to earn the title of 'hero'. He had his own path to walk and deliberately separated himself from the rest of the Red Wings after the war, but even so he regretted not being able to help them more, with Aeli Kanna, with that child he always talked about. And so I was quite fond of giving you the name of Delryn—so that the 'son of the king' would be unwilting, no matter what happened to him. But really, even giving you a perfect name only goes so far. It's up to you to decide how you'll be. That girl saw a beautiful flower blooming, but now the flower has been cast into the storm…is it but a rose, a transcendent but ephemeral beauty…or is that flower an amaranth, unwilting and refusing to fade away, but determined to bloom beside the rivers of eternity?" She finally rose. "I love you, Del, and I am proud of you, no matter what. I am not ashamed of what you've done, and I think that what you see as a failure was still a success, even if it wasn't as great as you thought. I hope you'll see it that way, too…you seem to have picked up a lot of friends recently, and I think they see it the same way. Rest well."

Delryn stared after her as she departed. "So many busybodies," he muttered. "Each and every one of them…well…."

8-8-8

"If the Obsidian Star is also looking for it, it could be a problem," Kain murmured. "Still, now we know what we need to do. We can start planning the escape."

While Akari was off checking on Delryn, Kiami, Hikaru, Minsc and Aerie were reporting on their findings. Kain, Mai, Tear, Rin, Shunsui, Jûshirô, Hinagiku, Nodoka, Erza, Grey, Jade, Lina, and Chisame were now making plans with them.

"The best time to try and activate it would be the culmination of the Festival," Kamo pointed out. "Just as ancient Earth peoples based their holy days on seasonal changes and the like, this Memorial Festival is centered on the magical flow and ebb of Orimus. Just like Sakura was using the Mahora Tree's energy for her plan—and, really, we did, too, to escape that future—using the energy of the land will make it a lot easier to open."

"However, if they want it for some reason, the Obsidian Star will likely be aiming for the same time," Jade remarked. "You won't get to it without a fight."

"Only to be expected," Lina said. "It's just too perfect a situation, isn't it? It seems like fate: the ultimate battle, our enemies standing in the way of our quest at the final moment." She sighed deeply.

"Regardless, that's what we have to do," Kain declared. "We can't stay in this world, as interesting as this all is. We have to get everyone home. Well…we have a little more to do before that. We can't get ahead of ourselves."

"That's right," Chisame said. "The tournament isn't over yet. You have your fight with Kenjirô tomorrow…then Kuchiki after that. And then, it would be Aiden. But even that is 'getting ahead of ourselves'."

"That was a good fight the kid had earlier," Shunsui noted. "You can't think you'll get past him that easily. It's good that he's on your side…but tomorrow, he'll be an obstacle."

Kain chuckled. "Not really. We're after the same thing. If Kenjirô defeats me, he'll defeat Byakuya and Aiden. Because that's the kind of person he is. Regardless of anything else…neither of us will stop until we've succeeded."

8-8-8

As the evening waned, the usually energetic companions of Kain Lockeheart separated into smaller groups, reflecting on their situation. Three rounds of the tournament had passed…three more, the far more intense and dangerous three rounds, remained.

Ami and Nodoka sat near Fairy Tail as Natsu celebrated his surprising progress with a tremendous feast. They watched him with small smiles, but Nodoka's mind was on other things. "Tomorrow…Kain- _sensei_ …and Kenjirô- _kun_ …."

"They'll finally have their battle. It's…well, I've watched them spar a great many times now," Ami mused. "But to think that they'll actually fight…I can hardly imagine it."

Nodoka giggled. "Well…I was there the first time they fought. I remember it well…Kenjirô- _kun_ was so much stronger than Kain- _sensei_ …. Kain _-sensei_ only was able to defeat him by tricks and with a lot of help. Of course…Akari- _san_ defeated Kenjirô- _kun_ then, too…."

"But now, they're like this," Ami remarked. "It's difficult to imagine Kain- _sensei_ losing now…ever since the Festival…."

"Yeah. But no matter who wins…we're close to going home…."

Ami considered for a moment. "Will we really…go home?"

"W-what? A-Ami…."

"No, I mean…it's not that I doubt Kain- _sensei_ , or Kenjirô- _kun_. But…can we really run away? Can _he_ run away? With this world in danger, with both of our worlds in danger? True…we are just children, students, we should be uninvolved, but…how can we leave everything behind? I…don't think Kain- _sensei_ can do that. Not just for his father, but for the people of this world…for Fairy Tail, Avalon, even the Seireitei. After seeing what Aiden- _san_ and his father did in that movie…do you really think Kain- _sensei_ could do that?"

"N-no…" Nodoka agreed. "He wouldn't…he'd try, but…it's the same reason why he gained that new power…he didn't need it to win this tournament. He got that power…not to save Izumi- _san_ and the others…but to defeat them…especially…that boy, Eminus…." She paused again. "And…regardless…there's still someone we haven't found yet…."

"Yue," Ami agreed. "We still…don't really know anything about what's happened to her…."

"Kain- _sensei_ tried to say something to me a couple days ago," Nodoka said. "The night of his preliminary battle, the day before the tournament, he mentioned Yue's name…and then he decided not to say anything. But I think he knows something now, too…."

"Hmm. Well, he'll never leave without her," Ami said. "You know that. That's the kind of person Kain- _sensei_ is."

8-8-8

"Your friend is every bit as amazing as the rumors say…and perhaps even more."

Lina glanced up from her own eating to look at Zelgadis in surprise. She swallowed and said, "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Regardless of being the son of the Grand Archmage, he's shown an ability that comes only once every few generations. Really, he's somewhat terrifying."

Lina considered this. "I don't know. I guess so. I still can't see him as anything more than the clueless little airheaded bookworm, not really able to do anything but _dream_ about things." She stared out a window. "I guess…he's gotten stronger. He's weathering this storm well, considering."

Zelgadis grunted consent. "Hanatabi Kôtarô…he said, in that 'movie' we watched, that Kalan Lockeheart had a 'wyrd', a fate placed upon his shoulders. And now the sons of those two are fated to a confrontation…probably with much less at stake, of course, but an interesting twist of fate nonetheless. And after this tournament is the struggle with the Obsidian Star. That's what I'm waiting for, of course. But if nothing else, if Kain Lockeheart continues to be an Archmage approaching those like Claire, Zeref, and Merlin…well, never mind."

"Are you bored, Zelgadis?" Gourry asked suddenly. As Zelgadis turned to him warily, Gourry added, "Well, you just seem so thoughtful and talkative about it. I'm feeling a little bored, knowing that there's nothing to do but wait for this to get over. You seem like you're itching for action yourself."

"Heh. Probably I am. I feel such a promise at my fingertips…and I can't reach it quite yet. But it will come soon enough…."

"Far too soon," agreed Lina, staring out the window again. "We should enjoy the rest while we can."

8-8-8

Kain sat on the edge of the terrace, gazing out at the sleeping city. The lights danced and played and the hubbub wafted up to him. It was yet another real 'first' for him, in a year of them—ever since he had finally left his secluded home in the Mountain West of America, he had started encountering more and more of them. In this case, here at Orimus was his first time being in such a huge, bustling city that never turned off, even at night—it remained very much alive and thriving.

Of course, he had just spent the last six months or so before coming to Arcanus Myrror in Tokyo, one of the largest metropolitan centers in the world…but there, he had been within the confines of Mahora Academy, a city unto itself, a city within a city, and a city with its own rules distinct from the city around it. Foremost amongst those, of course, for the night-owl crowd, was the curfew. No, nights at Mahora were little different from his nights in Sleiyn. Here, there was still life….

"Shouldn't you be getting your sleep? You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

Kain turned to Mai as she approached. Without another word, she sat down next to him and gazed out at the night herself. "Or is it because of that day that you can't sleep?" she offered finally, turning a coy smile on him.

"Maybe." Kain turned his own gaze back on the night. "I haven't fought Kenjirô… _really_ fought him…since that day back in Kyoto, so long ago…."

"I remember it well," Mai chuckled. "Oh, he was beating us so badly. We barely got away. And to think of it now…he doesn't have a chance."

Kain glanced askew at her. "I appreciate the confidence you have in me, but that kind of talk is dangerous…."

"I have nothing against Kenjirô- _kun_ , of course. He's become one of our best friends. He's an important member of our team. But he's not _you_ , Kain. You're the one who needs to win this tournament. You're the one who's going to beat Byakuya and Aiden. You're the one we have to depend on."

"I still think you're optimistic."

"I'm realistic, Kain. I've seen your progress first hand…the scared little kid battling Alyssa, the boy in Kyoto just learning to fight, your obsessive quest for training, your battle against the Graf, what you did in the _last_ tournament you entered, Sakura, and everything during the summer…and now you've gone and sacrificed your mortality for strength. I have nothing against Kenjirô- _kun_ , but, I can't imagine…no, I _know_ he's really no match for you. None of us can be, anymore. You are your father's son."

Kain chuckled. "I never get tired of hearing that, honestly. I'm always so desperately thinking of him…every time I hear his name, it's like he's a little bit closer to me. I can't imagine people like Delryn, who despise having their father's name attached to them…I understand the burden of expectations from such a massive figure, but I'd take all of it and more if I could have him back in my life. That, I think, is the difference between us…."

"While you keep dreaming, Kalan went out and made things happen," Mai agreed. "Yeah, you're right. But you shouldn't doubt yourself too much. After all, you've come this far. We all believe in you. We're going to trust and follow you all the way. Not Kenjirô- _kun_ , not Byakuya, not Aiden, not Urahara- _san_ or Saber or Kyôraku- _san_ , but you. We're going to rescue Miki- _chan_ and the rest, we're going to get everyone home…and we're going to defeat the Obsidian Star and put an end to this. That's all."

"Well…thank you, Mai. That's…a heavy burden on me, you know. I…have enough expectations on myself…."

"You just don't think about it, do you? But everyone's depending on you, now. Sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable. But it's the fact. Don't be afraid of it. Use that as strength. We all love you, Kain, and we support you, and we believe in you. That's who you have to be…the unwilting, unstoppable Kain Lockeheart."

"Unwilting and immortal." Kain smiled wryly. "What a legacy to live up to. Well…as you said, it's late, and I should get some sleep. Then…we'll see tomorrow. Take care."

"Yeah. You too. Sleep well, Kain." They rose and parted.

F I N

 _Author's Note: Flower of Immortality_

 _So, a quick little transitional chapter returning our searchers and checking on the mental states of some of our fighters…particularly Delryn._

 _As I like to do, I'm naming the chapters of this Act after songs, some with far more thought than others. Chapter One I've played with and changed several times, and finally have settled on something that describes 'a new challenger has arrived!' as it were. Chapter Two was a bit more thought out—'Remember the Name' is a song by Fort Minor, not a band I follow, but Ryan, erstwhile creator of Delryn, suggested that as his 'theme song', and it fits very well with the theme of Byakuya's lecture to him. Kenjirô's battle song (Chapter 3) is simpler, but nonetheless no less beautiful a description of his simple desire to not give in._

 _And Chapter Four arose from the song, rather than the other way around. Enya's 'Amaranthine' and Nightwish's 'Amaranth' are two completely different songs, but I love them both and they both, of course, revolve around the Amaranth, so I wanted to use it for a symbol of the chapter. And so, contrary to its size, I spent a great deal of time researching this chapter—first for the meaning and significance of this 'amaranth', the 'unwilting', the immortal flower. Then for the original (normal human word) meaning of Delryn, if it had any, finally finding its origin as noted by Delryn in this chapter. After this, I invented my own meaning for the name to tie them together—to have Delryn symbolize this flower, which plays off of ideas like 'I Will Not Bow' as well. Delryn's reaction is similar to Kenjirô's after losing in his first tournament, only even more so—as expressed by Akari and his mother. There are several reasons for all of this, from introducing the mysterious woman who reined in Aiden to beginning to set up the romance between Delryn and Akari. It's kind of interesting that this is one way that Kain is the mentally stronger of the pair—but unlike his two friends here, Kain isn't obsessed with strength. He has other goals, and so failing to compete with his friends isn't discouraging to him…it's getting beaten by the bad guys and not protecting his friends that gets him._

 _Well, we're about done with this for now. It's time to stop beating around the bush and get there—Kain vs. Kenjirô. We'd have few bettors on Kenjirô, but that's okay—I think it's hardly spoiler to say Kain's obviously going to win, but Kenjirô is going to put up a pretty good show for himself. After all, he just exorcised a fairly significant demon, so he has nothing left to lose._

 _Okay, go!_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Five: Princes of the Universe

Kain and Kenjirô stood in their enhanced forms, each holding his sword down by his side, slightly turned clockwise, staring across at each other. They looked on silently while Koto continued to go on, "And here we are…the second match of the quarterfinals! Kuchiki Byakuya has already become the first to qualify for the semifinals. Now, here we have two very familiar faces—the champions of the Tag-Team League of Granicus' summer circuit! The two most remarkable warriors ever to compete in that league, who went undefeated throughout their tenure, frequently with only one of them taking on their challengers, and while _begging_ for more fights, forgoing the usual periods of rest and recovery! With their incredible abilities, their impressive charisma, and their interesting appearances, they have captivated us.

"They are mysteries! Kalan Lockeheart—still we ask ourselves: is he the real thing, a mysterious offspring, a reincarnation, or a bombastic pretender? And Tanabi Kôjirô…a Blade Demon of remarkable skill, surprisingly similar to the master swordsman he just defeated in battle, casting a shadow of suspicion over their relationship. Is all of this mystery coincidence? Fate? The workings of gods, devils or men?

"Regardless, we now stand to witness a historic moment! The two undefeated champions, the two incredible warriors, these two princes of different worlds have triumphed and come so far together…but now only one will remain an undefeated champion! This time, each will find the other man does not have his back, but rather a sword at his throat! An eagerly anticipated moment…let the clash between these princes, Kalan Lockeheart and Tanabi Kôjirô, begin!"

The pair saluted each other with their swords…and then, wordlessly, they came together.

They fought for the crowd. They had been living the life of gladiators for some time now, and while neither was particularly fond of that lifestyle—Kenjirô preferred to fight for himself, not for the sake of gawkers, and Kain was far too reserved to take any pleasure in making a spectacle of himself—both had learned how to make the most of it. In particular, at this moment, neither one really wanted to fight the other at all. They had long since passed the point of being enemies, gone beyond rivals, and were now the closest of friends. And so they let themselves just play, to the delight of the crowd.

We have already remarked upon how fighters familiar with each others' movements, particularly those who train together, can turn a battle into a kind of dance, and Kain and Kenjirô worked to make theirs the most beautiful one could behold. Each was confident of his own and his friend's power, and despite the lazy monotony of the ritualized combat they pressed it, pouring in their magic and _ki_ and fighting at about the highest level they could manage with merely their 'mortal' powers. While Kenjirô and Kôtarô had battled with a synchronized duality, Kain and Kenjirô were quite different—Kenjirô with his dedicated long katana, and Kain with his small, fencing-based sword combined with his swiftly-changing martial arts. Yet the beauty of their dance was harmony, a harmony born from their perfect understanding not only of their own skills, but also the abilities of their foe/friend and the differences between them. Kenjirô's long sword flashed and flowed through the air as he fought, and Kain's sword darted and danced in response, clashing and blocking every strike, as Kain parried, parried again, and then began to counterattack with fist and foot.

Several minutes had passed, and not a single blow had landed on either young man; in fact, the ground around them was scarred and blackened by the strength of their attacks, and yet neither had suffered a single wound. Finally a heavy clash of blades forced both of them to slide back to opposite edges of the arena. They did not rise and resume their duel immediately; instead they each stood up and changed their stances.

"That was a fine greeting," Kenjirô remarked. "Now that we've warmed up…."

"It's certainly time to get serious," agreed Kain.

Kenjirô drew his card and 'unsheathed' Raiko. Kain pulled his staff from his cloak. Kain then activated _kanka_ while Kenjirô began to call on power from the contract.

And they exploded together. Their main swords met once again as they charged in together, but each one was already preparing a follow-up attack. Kenjirô brought Raiko around to unleash a blast of lightning, and Kain snapped out a spell, creating a blast of pure energy that met it halfway. The two attacks neutralized each other in an explosion that engulfed both young men, but they seemed unmoved and unharmed as the blast faded around them.

Kain stepped in to flank Kenjirô, who made a difficult, half-turn parry and then stepped back to gain some distance. Kain unleashed a sword-pressure wave, but Kenjirô moved aside to dodge, and when Kain stepped in to flank him once again, Kenjirô was ready for him. He was, to Kain's surprise, but not shock, facing the mage, and brought both swords across. Kain did manage to slip away before the attack struck.

Kain turned to bring his staff forward and planted its butt on the floor. Power began to arc around the top of the staff, at the powerstone, and then blasts of lightning-like energy began to stream towards Kenjirô. Kenjirô danced and dodged the attacks, getting closer and closer, and finally Kenjirô came within range of attacking him. Then Kain suddenly turned to put his sword forward, reverse-gripped it, and dropped down to a knee, sinking the blade into the arena floor. A dome of energy flashed out from him, blasting Kenjirô and throwing him back away again.

"What an intense battle!" Koto enthused. "These two are hardly giving a moment of rest! Despite being former partners, they are throwing themselves into this fray, swords flashing and magic flying! Kôjirô is relying on his two swords and all the techniques he can muster, while Kalan is backing up his swordplay with that dazzling, unbelievable magical talent of his! With few gestures and even fewer words, Kalan is stringing together so many spells it's hard even for experienced and alert _yôkai_ eyes to keep up with them all! But still, Kôjirô is meeting all those spells with his power and sword techniques! This fight could still go either way!"

8-8-8

Miki paused in her serving for a moment to stare down at the intense battle. "How can anyone even move like that?" she murmured. "It's like a bad action movie with bad editing." This was particularly true because of the shield that surrounded the platform…it had been demonstrated from the preliminary matches. The best engineers of Arcanus Myrror had been called upon to construct a shield that could block the forces the fighters would unleash upon each other. With the energies being released, even up here Miki would have certainly felt the back-blasts and gusts of wind arising from the action, and Koto, at the edge of the arena, seemed to be subject to them, as she constantly ducked and kept an arm cupped protectively over her face.

Not that Miki actually doubted anything that was happening…she had already seen and experienced far too much to disbelieve, and she had the previous experience of the last couple battles of the Mahora Festival Tournament. She had always suspected the truth of those battles—as the daughter of a prominent political family, she was aware that masters of the martial arts capable of the most incredible things were hidden away in various parts of the world, and only really 'hidden' because most people refused to believe that training in martial arts alone could cause men and women to exceed ordinary human limits. Those in highly important circles tended to gravitate towards these types, after all, always seeking to hire men who could give them advantages….

And now, along with _ki_ , there was magic. And here were Kain and Kenjirô, battling just as they had in the tournament before, only looking older and doing even more amazing and impressive things. This incredible power, used for entertainment….

Miki's personal musings were broken as Yukari drifted near to look down on her own. "Are you torn about your loyalties, Yukari?" Miki asked her.

Yukari blushed and began, "W-well, Kain- _sensei_ told me to cheer for Kenjirô- _kun_ ; he said that he needed all the support he could get."

"Well, how noble of him. It's no surprise, I guess; Kain- _sensei_ is that type of man…."

"Y-yeah…."

8-8-8

Kiami, Akari, and Hikaru stared down at the battle. "Even now, as intense as they are…it's easy to tell that they've become friends," Hikaru noted. "Even at that speed, with that power, they are just at play. Neither one wants to hurt the other…I don't think even Kenjirô- _san_ really wants this fight anymore."

"It is a change," Akari murmured. "It's hard to imagine that they began as enemies."

"Really? Those two, enemies? Ah, I heard something about that story before…."

The three turned to look up at Delryn, who softly approached, descending the steps towards their place. Seats were in short supply, even here in the exclusive higher-class seating, but next to Akari, who was sandwiching Hikaru with Kiami, there was a little precious room. Delryn gestured. "Ah…may I join you?" he asked, with a little more trepidation and hesitance than he was used to showing.

"Eh…ah! Y-yeah," Akari said, also a little nervously. As Delryn finally settled down next to her, she continued, "I-I'm sorry…for yesterday…for…."

"No, it's all right," Delryn replied. "I…I guess I did need that a little. Like you said, I didn't get my butt beat nearly enough when I was kid, right?"

Kiami looked over the two with a slight smile on her face. "Well, in any case, welcome to our little corner. Enjoy the fight. It's a remarkable one."

"I can see that." Delryn watched the dueling pair. "It's easy to see that they're friendly with other…it's hard to imagine they ever could have seriously fought each other."

"We didn't see it, but we heard all about it," Kiami informed him. "It's hard to imagine, yes, but Kenjirô- _kun_ gravely wounded Kain- _sensei_ in their first battle. Kenjirô- _kun_ , as a Blade _Yôkai_ , is obsessed with battle…or so he claims. However, I think it's a little more than that. I don't know that much about _yôkai_ , still, and how a _hanyô_ might really feel, but…Kenjirô- _kun_ strikes me as the kind who was desperate to earn a friend…but as someone who was dedicated to his sword and legacy, the only way he could find one was through battle. He's quite mellowed out—you should have seen him at the beginning. He was even more intense, arrogant, and loud than you, Delryn." As the young man shot her an interesting look, not quite a glare, she continued unabated, "He was working with the Obsidian Star, more or less ignorantly—it seems he had been hired by the war hawks and rebels of the Kansai Magic Association, who were secretly being supported by our enemies, and this, as you may have heard, was when we first encountered them. He threw himself at Kain- _sensei_ with rather wild abandon, even declaring he didn't care what his companions' real objectives were. After Akari defeated him in battle, he submitted cheerfully to his punishment, and was languishing in a magical prison in Kyoto until the Obsidian Star broke him out to try to put him to work again. Kenjirô- _kun_ had learned enough to be wary of them, and instead came to Mahora to warn Kain- _sensei_ , and so the two fought against a mercenary _mazoku_ they hired to come against us. You heard about that, too, I assume. Anyway, Kenjirô- _kun_ was transferred into the school and put under 'probation' there, and began to train with us. At the beginning Kenjirô- _kun_ balked at being called Kain- _sensei_ 's friend, insisted that they were nothing but rivals, and vowed to defeat Kain- _sensei_ one day to prove that he was the strongest. He seemed offended and irritated that Kain- _sensei_ was at the beck and call of so many of his female students, that he spent any time with them at all—not out of jealousy, but because he claimed that he didn't want Kain- _sensei_ to become weak because of his 'girl problems'. He seemed to suggest that Kain- _sensei_ should do nothing but train and fight with him.

"But over time, especially after he lost in the Mahora Festival before he got the chance to fight Kain- _sensei_ —after he lost in battle, just like you did, to a member of the original Red Wings—he mellowed out quite a bit. He was of great help against Sakura- _chan_ when she went against us at the Festival…we wouldn't have made it through without his help. And now he's becomes friends, not just of Kain- _sensei_ , but of all of us. He still says a few of the same things; he says that he's a demon, bred for nothing but battle, but he can't hide his human sentiments anymore."

She fell silent for a time as they turned their attention more fully on the battle. "But it's a little depressing," Kiami remarked. "He and Kain- _sensei_ both were such novices at fighting when we first encountered them. Oh, they were impressive enough, but they were far below our strength. Now, however…both of them are quite beyond us. They might be…no, they truly are at least the equal of our masters." She glanced over at Delryn. "Akari said you were really depressed yesterday. I'm not sure if watching them is helping you. You're obviously below them yourself. Are you still depressed? Do you still think it's pointless for you to even try anymore?"

Again Delryn gave his not-quite-angry glance to Kiami. "Like hell," he said flatly. "I hate to admit it, but I think you're right; they're stronger than I am. But the gap isn't that much. I'm going to keep getting stronger myself. I'm not ready to relax and just accept things the way they are. I'm going to get stronger."

"That's great!" Akari enthused, actually rather taking him aback. "That's the spirit! Now that you feel that way, I can offer you the same promise I made to Kenjirô- _kun_ back then: let's get stronger together! We can train and work hard to build each other up, until we catch up to them again! All right?"

Delryn stared at her, and then turned his face back towards the match, trying to hide his blush and act nonchalant as he answered, "Ah…s-sure. Of course. Why not?"

Kiami watched the pair with a slight smile. Hikaru, leaning back to allow her to talk around him, spared a brief glance, and then stared out at the battle once again.

8-8-8

"Kalan was nothing compared to him," Aiden remarked. He was standing in the super-VIP special booth, it with the shaded privacy windows, alongside Mashiro and her ever-present maid, and Saber and a pair of her Knights of the Round. Kamo was also present, on Artoria's shoulder.

"That's a rather bold and dangerous assessment," Mashiro said with a smile. "Do you really think that this 'Kalan Lockeheart' could defeat the hero of that war in battle?"

"I never said that," Aiden replied. "Don't pretend to jump to conclusions…I'm sure you know quite well what I mean. True, Kalan was a once-in-a-thousand-years kind of talent, a master of everything with outrageous, impossible power to boot. Despite having such incredible parentage, Kain is a far cry from that superman. But he has a brilliance that surpasses Kalan's simply because he's been forced to use it. You could almost say Kalan was handicapped by his own magnificence. He never had to work too hard, really _work_ for anything he did because it came so easily. But Kain is different…it's because he's not as natural that he's come this far. His magic skills are the main thing—he's worked on his magic, and he can do so many things with it. Kalan never had to. He just blew people away, although it seemed he really could use a thousand spells, always having the right spell for the situation. But Kain uses attack spells, defensive spells, movement spells, elemental spells, every twist and shape of magic. He's an Archmage, all right, just like the ones of old, wizards who seem capable of real miracles."

"In that way, he hasn't changed at all," Kamo chuckled. "No, in every way, he's never really changed. He's still the same kid, nervous, afraid, hopeful and brilliant, friendly and compassionate…from the beginning he's found himself backed into the corner, and he's been forced to dream up brilliant ideas. In his natural state, although he's learned to be a much better fighter, he really is a wizard at heart. Kenjirô has really changed…from the over-aggressive, over-compensating reckless fool to a calm, wise, measured protector. He's found a real purpose in his sword, but, true to his nature, he's uncomfortable with this change he doesn't understand. But it's what he is now. He's become a good counterpoint to his friend. It's a shame you won't be able to face both of them."

"Ah, c'mon, that'd be unfair, even for me," Aiden chuckled.

"I remember the duel Kalan had with Hanatabi Kôtarô," Artoria noted. "I had thought him killed after that…I was surprised any of us survived that clash of titans. The Kôtarô we saw here, of course, was but a shell of his old self, but he was still a masterful fighter. And now, for his son to walk side-by-side with Kalan's…it's a truly magnificent sight. A pair like them could really change things here on Arcanus Myrror for the better, in so many different ways."

"I'm not sure they'd really want to, any more than we did," Aiden chuckled. "Ruling your own nation aside, as it was required of you, all of us were too good to try to impose our will upon these nations. But, times are changing…Kain may be required to do more than he likes."

"You sound as if you understand the motives of the Obsidian Star," Mashiro noted.

"And you're really good at pretending you don't. I'm sure you're better-informed than I am, 'Miss Mashiro'. I've found the magical theories in my work before…about the influence these magical worlds have on each other and Earth. With worlds like this, 'orbiting' each other through magical planes, there are moments when more or less influence can pass between them, when an exceptional amount of magic can leak into Earth…but now…."

"Yeah," Kamo agreed. "In this instance, this is the second time in about twenty years that the worlds have been _forced_ into close alignment. There's a good chance, even if they all get back to Earth, that it might not be the same world they're used to…not for much longer. Kain knows it, too. He hasn't discussed it with me yet—knowing him, he's probably afraid to—but I can see it in his eyes. Ever since you subjected him to that pure mana, he's had a much deeper understanding of magic and its origin and source. He can see the way the wind is blowing. And with the way he thinks about morals and consequences…and now, after seeing that video…he's really giving thought to his mysterious student, Sanada Sakura…."

"Who's she? Ah…the one that was trying to reveal magic to the world during the Festival?"

"Yeah. Kain's personality is defined well by how torn he was over her actions at that time. Her objective seemed so random, and her reasoning so flimsy…but now it must seem to Kain that the world she wanted to create, where Earth knows about magic, is due to happen soon after all. That would go a long way to explain her actions, if she did foresee this…."

"Well, obviously I don't know anything about that," Aiden said. "Regardless, Kain's impressed me enough. I can believe in him, now, just as I did in Kalan…."

8-8-8

Riku and Kaoru watched from the own seats under the eye of Wein Cruz and Hans Bearnt. "They're both so amazing," Kaoru remarked. "How do they do it…?"

"Kain- _sensei_ said things about magic and science," Riku replied. "How science can be misinterpreted for magic by those without understanding. In other words, it's not a miracle or anything like that…we just still don't have the learning to comprehend the natural laws of what's happening. All I know is…." She shook her head. "We really don't belong here. We couldn't understand, and Kain- _sensei_ couldn't explain it to us because it was so far outside our understanding. I…I'm not sure if I envy or pity the rest of the girls. I mean, those that were part of the 'club'. I don't know how they were able to get near a world like this…."

"Yeah…it makes you feel that Kain- _sensei_ is just too far away, huh?" Kaoru sighed. Then she suddenly asked, "Why did you come with us, Riku- _chan_?"

Riku jumped. "W-what do you mean, why? I-I just…well…."

"The thing is…I think it's obvious why I wanted to follow them so badly. I…I really like Kain- _sensei_ , I might even be in love with him, and I couldn't stand the fact that everyone else was getting preferential treatment and being allowed to have secrets with him and was so directly helping him with his search. I just knew that I wasn't going to lose to anyone when it came to Kain- _sensei_! But…why did you come, Riku- _chan_? You were a good kid, and…well…."

"I-it's because…I just felt…something's always been different," Riku insisted. "You know, I once went on a magical adventure with Kain- _sensei_. I didn't realize it at the time, of course, but there was some weird magical plot going on and Kain- _sensei_ was tricked into going into an underground dungeon underneath a church as part of some contrived 'quest'. He had to take along people who apparently didn't know about the magical secret, and he begged me to help him out because his other two partners were Kazumi- _chan_ and Katsura- _sensei_. We were attacked by ghosts, crazed nuns, and giant robots, and it was so strange I just wanted to forget about it when it was over and pretend that nothing happened. But…well, there was that, and so many suspicious things going on ever since he arrived. I just wanted to get to the heart of the matter, that's all." She sighed. "And of course, now it seems I'm paying for my insatiable curiosity…."

"Oh…is that all…you know, I really thought, Riku- _chan_ , that it was because you like Kain- _sensei_ , too."

Riku started. "W-what!? W-where did _that_ come from? Why on earth do you think I would like Kain- _sensei_?"

"Ah, well, you know…it's just, everyone likes Kain- _sensei_. He's Kain- _sensei_ , after all…."

"Well, of course. That's just it. _Everyone_ likes Kain- _sensei_. But just because he's super smart, and athletic, and pretty good-looking, and seemingly rich, and an exotic American…w-what I mean is, I don't have to like a boy just because of things like that! It's not as if I'm my sister Risa, trying to snag the most amazing boy I can find just to boost my own image." Riku shook her head. "No way! I'm not a fangirl who follows those kind of fads and trends! He can go jump for all I care!"

"W-wow…sorry, I didn't realize you were sensitive about it," replied Kaoru, who was rather lost about where Riku had come from or was going with that rant. "I won't bring it up again." She turned back to the arena floor, where the fight continued. "Still…this time, I think I might be afraid…I really don't know if I can come anywhere near Kain- _sensei_ 's world. Like you said, we really never belonged here in the first place, and we can't really understand anything about magic…." Then she shook her head and slapped her cheeks. "What am I saying? No, of course I won't give up! After all, I can't understand anything about English, either, and it's his native language! But that hasn't stopped me yet! It's the same thing! Love is the kind of power that can overcome all barriers!

"Me, I'm glad I came, Riku- _chan_! Now that I've seen what Kain- _sensei_ 's really about, I'm going to try even harder! Now I can finally learn more about him! I'm going to give it my all, and I'm not going to lose to Mai, or Honya, or Kazumi - _chan_ or any of them!"

"W-wow…it's hard to try to bet against that kind of enthusiasm…" Riku murmured.

8-8-8

Kain and Kenjirô had finally peaked—Kain's True _Kanka_ was on display, and Kenjirô was reinforcing his contract powers with his demon form, and with that support he seemed to be protected from its side effects. Kain's use of spells had begun to dwindle, and now he was simply exchanging blows with Kenjirô.

Kenjirô slowed his own technique use down, wary of Kain's change, not sure if he had nearly exhausted his pool of mana or was simply planning a strategy to take him by surprise. Because of this, he relied on swordwork alone, and the two let their weapons clash together. They had not escaped unharmed—by this time, each had landed one significant sword cut on his opponent, but neither wound seemed to be affecting the outcome of the fight in the slightest.

Finally Kain stepped in closer, and dropped his weapons at the same time Kenjirô was bringing both in for another dual-strike. _('This is it,')_ Kenjirô thought as Kain reached out to grab both of the attacking blades. _('It's just like our first battle back in Kyoto…he's going to cast his spells on me through the blades….')_

But Kain didn't release any magic after catching the weapons. Instead his head darted forward, connecting with Kenjirô's face and staggering him. Kain moved even closer, dropping the blades, and then followed his headbutt with a series of left jabs and then a right straight. His hands changed stances to deliver rapid-fire two-finger jabs to Kenjirô's chest and abdomen, and then Kain grabbed his friend's left arm. He turned fully around to slam his back up against the _yôkai_ , then twisted the lock to force his friend to drop the sword. Then a few elbow strikes followed to Kenjirô's right side, just below his ribs. Finally Kain grabbed Kenjirô's wrist in both hands again and threw him over his shoulder.

Kenjirô finally managed to recover from the series of unarmed maneuvers, and landed on his feet. He immediately began to strike back, bringing his remaining sword around, but Kain stepped in first, slamming Kenjirô right in the throat. A low kick hit Kenjirô in the back of the knee, stunning him again and dropping him slightly, and Kain whirled and dropped to his hands. His legs flailed about, kicking Kenjirô across the face, shoulders, and chest. Then suddenly those flying limbs reached out and grabbed the _hanyô_ around the throat, and Kain rolled, pulling him to the ground.

The young mage had his feet wrapped around his friend's neck still as he brought him down, and then he grabbed and locked Kenjirô's right arm as it fell into his lap, forcing him to drop his other sword. As Kain held him there in this finishing BJJ pin, he suddenly snapped out, "Thunder!" and the sky answered, dropping a blast of electricity down on top of Kenjirô.

An explosion erupted at the point of impact. Holding Kenjirô as he was, Kain should have felt just as much of an effect from the spell, but a moment later he rose, seemingly unharmed, nay, completely untouched as the smoke began to clear, but Kenjirô lay still on the ground, still and rather blackened, and once again in his fully human form.

8-8-8

 _('It doesn't mean anything. I don't really feel anything. I'm fighting the fight I always wanted, and yet two thoughts dominate my mind—firstly, I know I'm going to lose. I know I can't measure up to the growth of this genius, especially not after what he recently fought to go through. I know that it means so much more to him, and that his obsession is what's really driven him this far, past all his faults and fears and weaknesses. Secondly, I don't care. I'm not depressed, nor am I pleased…I am simply accepting of the situation. No, in fact, I am incredibly happy for Kain, happy that he's come this far. I feel…a little competitive fire. I wanted to win. That hasn't changed—that's always been the human part of me. But it's all right that I lost. To him, it doesn't matter._

 _('Was it the contract that changed me? …No, I can't blame it on something so convenient. I changed because of him, and them. I was always just trying to be like my father, or at least that's what I convinced myself. I wanted to be a true weapon, a sword of dueling, a man of battles, a warrior in his image, to be perfectly honest. But I never was…he never wanted to win. Deep down, I understood that. Winning and losing didn't mean anything more to him than killing or dying. He simply lived to fight, but I always wanted to win. I wanted to prove myself and be the strongest. I wanted to be the pinnacle, only by surpassing all the others to prove that I'd gotten there. But then…I changed. Slowly. Over time. Because of all of them._

 _('Why did I even help him in the first place? The Obsidian Star promised me a chance to finish my battle. He had already run away twice. Was it because of Akari, who had defeated me? After all, she was his follower. I've never liked fighting girls—another human sentiment that distinguished me from my father—but even so, she was so much stronger than I was, and she completely followed Kain. But it wasn't because of that. It wasn't because I felt used, or really hated the Obsidian Star. But I rejected them and went to Kain without a second thought. I wanted him to be my rival, to be the stepping stone on my path to glory, but I chose to forego my chance to battle him and help him instead. I willingly began to train with him, all with the pretense of making sure he could be my worthy rival._

 _('I had plenty of chances to settle the score, I could have asked Alyssa for an official duel with him at any time, but I chose to wait for the best moment, for a big public tournament at the Mahora Festival. I lost and felt like my world had come crashing down, but again Akari showed me that I still had plenty left to do and plenty of space left to grow. I helped Kain with that girl of his during the festival, the mysterious Sanada Sakura. I continued training with him, chose to follow him into Arcanus Myrror, even made a contract with him. When did I stop hiding the fact that I wanted to be his friend…?_

 _('All I ever wanted was a real friend. And I found it in Kain. And not just him—all his students. Not just the ones who fought alongside us, but others, too, especially Matake…and Yukari. I've only very slowly begun to admit any of it. But the most precious thing in the world to me, I've learned, are these human relationships…these relationships I once scoffed at and mocked._

 _('I feel no shame, nor sorrow, over the fact that I am now inferior to Kain. I feel no remorse in losing this battle. The most important thing is that we save this world I've already come to love, that we save all these friends that I have come to love…that we save Yukari and the rest. Kain will do this. He is strong. He is now as strong as he needs to be. He'll defeat the rest of them, win this tournament, and set them free, and then all of us, the White Wings, the so-called 'new generation of heroes'…we will defeat the Obsidian Star once and for all.')_

"What an incredible blast! Just how is it that Kalan seems unaffected, standing there as if nothing happened, while his foe lies unmoving at his feet? Is it because his spell was, impossible as it seems, designed specifically not to harm him? Is he simply that overpowering? Regardless, this seems to be a knockout, and so I'll begin counting! One! Two!"

Kain stared down at Kenjirô silently. The audience was too far away to see, of course, but even if they had been standing at his side they would have found it impossible to read his blank expression. Finally Kenjirô twitched and began to stir. He slowly rolled over and pushed himself up to his knees as Koto's count neared its final number.

"So you can go on?" Kain asked softly. "I thought you had more in you than that. Are you ready to keep going?"

Kenjirô adjusted his position, moving his left knee up to bring his foot onto the ground but sliding his other leg underneath him to assume an obvious sitting position. "No way," he chuckled. "I mean, I guess I could, but there's no point. I know when I've lost. You are the stronger…you always have been. I'm just glad I was able to go this far against you. You take care of business from now on. I've lost this match."

"Fifteen! Furthermore, Tanabi Kôjirô has admitted defeat from his own mouth! It's official! Kalan Lockeheart will proceed to battle Kuchiki Byakuya in the semi-finals!"

Kain reached down and helped Kenjirô to his feet. Both turned and salute the crowd with waves in answer to their thundering cheers.

"For all her talk, she has no idea just how much those two are princes of their respective people," Kisuke murmured. "The son of the Grand Archmage, the son of the King of Blades…and they've proven themselves more than worthy of those names."

Every member of Kain's class, every member of the Red Wings, smiled as they cheered and clapped…in congratulations not just of Kain, but Kenjirô as well. Fate and chance had to be blessed for the two of them, for all that they had accomplished together…and now, although only Kain would continue on this path going forward, there was more work for all of them to do. These battles they had endured would ultimately shape them in preparation for their final confrontations….

F I N

 _Author's Note: The Teammates Face Off_

 _Kain and Kenjirô have finally had their match, their grand duel. Again, as I've said before, Kenjirô is more fortunate than the original Kôtarô was—because he and Negi were in a team through even the memorial tournament, Kôtarô had to help Negi defeat his ultimate opponent, Rakan, and had to come to grips with Negi's superiority from the side after exhausting himself in the battle and watching Negi finish it. But Kenjirô has his opportunity to fully resolve that part of him—and with that, he'll be able to set his previous obsessions aside and fully embrace that, half- or not, he is a proud human amongst human friends._

 _Although I've had the general idea of the tournament around for some time, I didn't really intend to go quite this way with Kenjirô—have so much soul-searching and the like in these chapters, but it just kind of happened, and I really rather like it. It was the problem I expressed initially with Kenjirô—that I was rather afraid of him being too much like Kôtarô. But a few subtle things I did started to shape him—starting in Act 6, when he went along with them to the future, which Kôtarô didn't do. Thrust into a situation in which the blade wasn't a viable solution to the problem, he blossomed, helping to lead Kain's little harem in their quest to rescue him and get back in time. And this led to his further growth over the summer, getting away from Kôtarô's idiot fighting kid persona. And now it's come to its head—Kenjirô has found his own place, and is satisfied._

 _And Kain, of course, has reached a point that very little can stand in his way. I considered so many different things to do, twists, possibilities to use in their fight…but in the end I settled on this. Kain matched swords for so long, but finishes by calling on his martial arts, which Kenjirô was quite honestly unprepared for._

 _Now we'll take another break chapter, and then the semi-finals will start…._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Six: The Good Life

To the surprise of not a single watcher, Aiden easily defeated his foe and moved on to the semi-finals and, in the final match of the day, Natsu continued his remarkable rampage and battered his way through the 5th seed contestant. The final four had been determined: Byakuya, Kain, Aiden, and Natsu.

"So, Akari…" Delryn began after the four had left the stadium. The girl turned her attention to him obediently. "W-well…the thing is…it's, ah, it's still early, you know, I mean, all the fighting's done for the day, right? So, you know…the thing is…we, ah, should go out…to see the Festival. You know, we have this big Festival here and all, lots to see and do, but I, ah, I've been a bit too distracted to do anything before because of my fights…but now, that's not an issue, right? So, ah…."

The three youths stared at Delryn as he hemmed and hawed through this proposal, quite different from the usual self-confident and composed Delryn they were used to. "So, you want to see the Festival?" Akari finally said, brightly. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. The four of us should have all sorts of fun together!"

"A-ah…y-yeah…about that…" Delryn began.

"Hmm, actually," Kiami suddenly cut in, "Hikaru and I have other things to take care of right now. We'll have to leave it to you two."

"Eh? Really?" Surprised, Akari looked expectantly at Hikaru for confirmation.

"Oh, yes, really," Hikaru agreed mildly. "If Kiami- _chan_ says so, then most definitely, we have other plans. We'll probably need to get going now." With a bow, he began to slip away, and Kiami made a more mysterious withdrawal. Akari stared after them while, behind her, Delryn clasped his hands and mouthed a 'Thank you' to the air.

"That's funny," Akari muttered. "I wonder what they're up to…are they making plans with Kain- _sensei_ or something? Well…." She turned back to Delryn, and, suddenly aware that she was rather alone with the young man, she suddenly began to feel rather self-conscious about being with him. "A-ah…then…I guess we should…get going…?"

"Yeah…plenty to see, right? Let's go have some fun…."

8-8-8

Kazumi helped Yukari unwrap Kenjirô's bandages. "Well…as usual, you heal remarkably fast," Yukari murmured. "Even with how badly Kain- _sensei_ messed you up this time…."

"Well, it's part of not being human," Kenjirô replied. "My body recovers much more quickly than normal. You don't have to worry about it any more, though…not for the rest of the tournament. From now on, it's Kain you'll have to take care of."

Yukari grew quiet. "Y-yeah…you're right…um…Kenjirô- _kun_ …about that fight…."

"Yes?"

"W-well…I thought that you…were quite amazing, even if…."

"Are you trying to comfort me in my loss, Yukari- _san_?" Kenjirô teased. "So kind of you."

"N-no! That's not it…!" Yukari began.

"I-I also thought so, Kenjirô- _kun_!" insisted Kazumi. "E-even if you didn't win…you're still incredible…."

"Right. That's fine." Kenjirô held up a hand to forestall them. "There's no need to worry. I fought hard, and I lost, and that's the end of it. Kain will finish this battle…it's up to him now. And then, afterwards, he's going to need me…and all of us. Until then, we've got to cheer him on, right?"

The girls considered him. They both remembered Kenjirô's depression from his previous loss, and had perhaps felt that this unusual…serenity in him was a recurrence of that, a melancholy arising from his defeat, but as Kenjirô smiled softly at them, they both saw something far more than that in his eyes. It was comforting to the two of them. "Right," Yukari agreed. "You're right, Kenjirô- _kun_. I just think it's a shame you had to fight this early…but now, all we can do is believe in Kain- _sensei_."

Kenjirô threw his jacket back on and headed briskly for the door. He opened it and looked around. "Hey, Mama! Yukari- _san_ doesn't have any duties left today, right?"

The big bear-woman turned to him in surprise. "Oh? Ah, of course not! Go ahead, take her out and have a good time, Kôjirô- _kun_!"

Kenjirô saluted her, then ducked inside. "We can't think too much about that right now, though. We've been too wound up…why don't we take the day and go have some fun? It's a festival, isn't it?"

The two exchanged glances. They were surprised, but also energetic and somewhat hopeful. "S-sure!" Kazumi finally said.

"Yes, let's…thank you, Kenjirô- _kun_."

8-8-8

"It's kind of funny," Mai remarked to Kain. "It seems everyone's going out to enjoy themselves. It's been going on for four days now…but before, everyone seemed concerned with the fights. Now…."

"Now, with fewer fights, there's more time," Kain replied. "More people who have settled their feelings about the matter. The intensity is increasing…sometimes it's necessary to blow off steam and find an outlet."

"But they aren't the ones fighting," Mai pointed out. "Are you talking about them, or yourself? And if it's you, why aren't you going out to 'blow off steam'?"

Kain was silent. Mai considered him. "Seriously, Kain…can't you relax for a minute? Why do you…have to take everything upon yourself?"

Kain shrugged. "I can't…not do it. Every second of this, every moment of danger and threat…grinds at me, every feeling, every nerve. I know that…being on edge, being miserable, whatever, none of it does any good, it doesn't help anyone…but I just can't do it. While my friends, my students are facing hardships…I can't bear to think of just enjoying myself. Especially with what's coming. Byakuya…getting past him will be one thing…and Aiden…another thing altogether."

Mai sighed. "And you really think brooding is going to help anything? No, don't answer that…you've pretty much told me. Really, Kain…."

"What do you suggest, then, Mai?"

"Why don't you join them?" Mai suggested, gesturing out at the thronging city. "Take _Honya_ or Izumi- _chan_ and go out and have some fun…spread some cheer around to others."

"Nodoka or Izumi- _san_ …not you?" Kain asked, smirking. "Offering up other victims, but you won't take the plunge yourself?"

"W-what are you getting on about? I'm just talking about those who might need the comfort of their champion. There are a lot of people who could use your attentions, lover boy."

"Jeez," Kain sighed as Mai got up and wandered away. "Give me a break…."

Kamo appeared on his shoulder. "Well, how interesting. It's been a while since I've seen any good teenage hijinx…well, apart from the hot springs, I guess. Going to take her up on her advice?"

Kain sighed again. "Well…there are only two fights left…and then probably some things will need to be sorted out. Her feelings…and the rest." He pulled a pill from his pocket. "Maybe I should spend some time with her…see if I can sort through anything…." He turned and started away, taking the pill and returning to his more famous persona.

8-8-8

"At least we got to see that one," Irina said, twirling a little. "Kalan Lockeheart versus Tanabi Kôjirô! That was really amazing! Kalan Lockeheart…he seems an unstoppable force! Even against his own partner, he didn't slow down…."

"I've never seen…fighting like that," Arika murmured. "They were both so fast and intense! And they were just playing together, dancing…and showing such amazing power…."

"Everyone forgets that Kôjirô," Shiho remarked. "But he held his own while Kalan Lockeheart mysteriously disappeared for a month or more…all by himself. He's interesting, too…battling against that famous _yôkai_ swordsman…didn't they seem awfully similar?"

"They did," Nina remarked. "Kalan Lockeheart has all the publicity…but that man could almost be a clone or a relative of Hanatabi Kôtarô. There are so many mysteries here…." She glanced over at Yue. _('And how does all this connect with this girl…Ayase Yue…?')_

8-8-8

Kiami and Hikaru hopped across the rooftops, keeping an eye on their prey below. "And…what is the purpose of this?" Hikaru asked. "Well, obviously you're very interested in situations like this…but why am I coming along, too?"

"Well, we can't make me into a liar," Kiami insisted with a smile. "I said we had business together, so we have to do this together. Besides, aren't you curious about how this is going to turn out? Or…are you jealous…?"

Hikaru considered this for a moment. "Well, I can't say I'm disinterested. As for being jealous…I can't say that I am, either."

"Oh, so cold. Akari would be ashamed…."

"I doubt it. We've all been friends for a while, but romantic partners…that's another thought entirely. For my part…" Hikaru began to laugh. "Being the boy that I was, dreaming of becoming an ally of justice, I always figured that my destined partner would be a princess that I had to rescue from evil or some such thing. Other than that…I don't think I've honestly thought much about girls." He glanced back down at the pair traveling through the town. "In that way, I'm like Kain- _kun_ …but Delryn's not like that. He can actually devote his attention to women. I think that Akari, who's likewise clueless about men, probably needs someone more like him…as long as he doesn't take advantage of her."

"I don't think we have to worry about that. Although he acts like a diehard womanizer, and certainly is more aware of women…he's the kind who has trouble dealing with the girl he really likes. He goes from being a playboy to being more hopeless than Kain- _sensei_ in a moment. How precious…."

Kiami turned to Hikaru. "But even now, you don't have any interest in normal girls, Hikaru? You're waiting for that damsel in distress to appear so you can rescue her? Of course, you might be in the right world for it…."

Hikaru shook his head. "No…I've learned, even in a magic world like this, life isn't a fairy tale…not everything progresses as it should in a story…."

"Ah, so very wise." Kiami suddenly leaned her face in close to Hikaru's. "Is that why you aren't enthusiastic about watching them? You don't think you'll see anything interesting, anything worthy of a story like that?"

"W-what?" Hikaru was a bit taken aback by this action, but he continued calmly, "No, not really…I'm just not into games with people like you are, Kiami- _chan_ …."

"Games, is it…? You're right, Hikaru. I do play too many games. Perhaps we should stop this one and do something serious for a while…."

Still Kiami was quite close to Hikaru, reminding him rather starkly of the fox-girl that had accosted him during his travels previously. "If you're serious…maybe you should stop playing games with me…."

"Is it a game, Hikaru? Well, a _kunoichi_ , like male _shinobi_ , is supposed to bury her heart, and I have done so through a mask of carelessness and a flippant attitude. That makes it all the harder to tell when I am serious. But I assure you, Hikaru, even a _kunoichi_ like me doesn't go through life unaffected, and being one of two exceptional ladies orbiting an exceptional gentleman like yourself…Akari, my best friend and rival, always made me more keenly aware of how special and precious you were, and even having Kain- _sensei_ around didn't diminish that. So, now that Akari is _very_ distracted and clearly being pulled away, I have to strike while I can…."

Hikaru stared at her slowly-approaching face, still seemingly quite calm and controlled, and then broke off the gaze, looking away, up, down, and several directions, various expressions of extreme thoughtfulness crossing his face. Kiami halted her glacial advance, but did not withdraw.

"Sorry," he finally said. "This is just very new to me. I am very fond of both of you, and this companionship of ours is just heading in a direction I had actually never envisioned before. I'm trying to consider it carefully…."

"Consider away then. In the meantime, let me help." And Kiami finally grasped his head and kissed him, deeply. After some initial freeze, Hikaru instinctively began to return it.

"You're right," Hikaru said when Kiami finally withdrew from him. "That did help. It's good enough of a fairy tale for me."

8-8-8

Delryn and Akari wandered through the crowds, now absent a pair of sneaks, being exceptionally good at being uncomfortable in the other's presence. Delryn had previously bought Akari a replacement necklace of her neocolom disguise she had used when they first met, allowing her to travel the city without problem, and so they made an interesting pair as they walked about, Delryn striving to walk close and Akari nervously accepting the positioning, but each one too afraid to look at or talk to the other.

"Forget the fighting," Delryn muttered to himself. "Really, why was I too stubborn a little idiot to ask him for a bit of advice about what to do about _this_?"

"D-did you say something?" Akari asked.

"N-no…just…it's a nice festival…hey, look, would you like some of those crêpes? They look the real thing, or near enough, real French-style…."

"S-sure!"

Delryn paid for the treat, and as they consumed their jelly-laden super-thin jacks, he finally managed, "You know…about that hit you gave me yesterday…."

"A-ah! I-I-I'm sorry about that, I never should have, it was just, I couldn't…."

"No, no…" Delryn pleaded, finally managing to silence her frenetic apologies. "You don't have to apologize. I think I really deserved it…and besides, you shouldn't apologize for the things you do so easily. If you apologize…well, that would mean you were wrong, and what you said was just a bunch of crap, you know. So don't apologize…you were right. Everything's been given to me on a silver platter, but I was still arrogant enough to think that I was worth all of it and more…and I just couldn't handle the fact that I wasn't living a fairy tale. But if I give up because of that….it means I'm less of a man than your Kain- _sensei_ or that Kenjirô guy. I really can't stand that. I lost this time…but…I'll just get better. So, keep watching over me, okay?"

Akari stared at him for a second, then smiled brightly. "Sure! I'll stick with you and help you along the way, if that's what you want! Ah, well…." She sighed wistfully. "As fun as this adventure has been, pretty soon we're going to be going back to Earth, to Mahora Academy…so I can't stick around too long…."

"Ah…y-yeah…you guys have to go back, don't you?"

"Of course we do! We have our school and responsibilities, and our club…and our families, too. I know that they have faith in me and trust me, but I can't just disappear on all of them! I've got to get back so I can see them again!"

Delryn shrugged. "Well, that's true. Maybe I'll pay a visit to Mahora. I thought Earth was supposed to be boring, but I guess it's an interesting enough place…."

"Ah? Really!? That'd be great!" Akari took Delryn's hand with both of hers in her excitement. "Yes! You could come meet the rest of our class! Ah, everyone except Sakura- _chan_ , who isn't there anymore, but still…."

"U-um, y-yeah…t-that sounds good…" Delryn squeaked, once again becoming more nervous by Akari's sudden contact and closer proximity, although she seemed to fail to notice this.

"Hey…isn't that Delryn Rylack?"

This new voice cut into their consciousnesses and they turned in surprise. Three toughs, about their age, were now staring at them from a short distance away, two young human men and a cat-like neocolom male. They sneered at Delryn, largely ignoring the girl next to him. "Delryn Rylack, son of the hero," sneered the cat-boy. "Well, he didn't really amount to much, did he? Only made it to the third round…guess he's not as impressive as everyone made him out to be…."

As Delryn began to stir, Akari suddenly stepped forward and snapped out, "Hey! Shut your mouth if you have nothing to say but garbage!"

The three turned their attention to her. "You taking offense to us, foxy?" said one of the humans. "You a little hero-sniffing kit?"

"Keep talking," Akari growled. "Normally, I really don't like to pick on weaklings, but my blood's boiling because of all these fights I haven't been able to get involved in. If you really like, I'll show you who's impressive or not…."

"This little kit thinks she can fight!" laughed the other human. "Might be fun to play with her…see just how _wild_ she can be…." He leered suggestively at her.

Delryn started to take a step forward, but Akari thrust a hand out and stopped him dead. "Let me. They're my prey now." Then, to the youths: "If you don't want to fight, turn around now and run. I won't chase. If you don't, you're hitting the ground in pain. You've been warned." She crouched down in preparation.

The three laughed. "Try it!" hissed the cat, leaping at her.

And Akari was suddenly past him, grasping him around the back of his skull and then casually smashing him into the ground with a snap of her wrist. As the two boys stared in shock, Akari whirled around to hit one in the face with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying. The last remaining youth stared after his friend, then turned and jumped at Akari with an angry shout. Akari caught his fist in her hand and began to squeeze it slowly, dropping him to his knees as he began to cry out in pain. "You really shouldn't take shots at people if you don't have any power to back it up," Akari said. "This much I'm showing here wouldn't have been enough to make it into the preliminaries of that tournament. What right do you have to say anything to someone who could fight like this for as long as he did?"

Suddenly a fourth boy came leaping out of the crowd to attack Akari from behind. She began to turn to intercept him, but to her surprise Delryn was there first, sending the assailant flying into the air. "I appreciate it, Akari, but I don't need anyone to fight my battles for me." He gestured for Akari to release her victim, which she did and Delryn flipped a gold coin to the kneeling boy. "In any case, sorry for the trouble. That should buy your friends some band-aids. For future reference, the lady's right…don't start trouble unless you really want trouble." And he began to usher the girl away before the gawking crowd could sprout hostile authority figures.

"Sorry about that," Akari murmured as they started away. "I know you could have handled them easily yourself. But I have been itching to fight something, and idiots like them really bother me…."

"Don't worry about it," Delryn murmured with a smile. "Just remind me to never make you angry again…."

8-8-8

"So…Kenjirô- _kun_ …" Yukari murmured as the trio stopped to eat treats of their own. "I was just thinking about something…what are your plans…after this…?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kenjirô asked, pausing in the act of eating his sweet roll.

"W-well…it's just, Kain- _sensei_ has this big, glorious plan, right? This…trouble, with our slavery, and those 'Obsidian Star' guys or whatever aside, he's got this big plan of finding his missing father, and then he…he's going to become an Archmage or whatever, right? He's going to go around doing the kinds of things his father was famous for, using his magic to help people. That's the kind of life he expects to be living. But what about you? What…are your plans, exactly?"

"Hmm. I don't know," Kenjirô admitted. "I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. As I told you, when I left my home village, such as it was, I went out with the purpose of just living like a real Blade _Yôkai_ , like my father was, becoming a wandering swordsman fighting any and all the strong people I could. That was why I agreed to work with the war hawks of Kyoto and fought against Kain in the first place. After I came to Mahora…I was mostly just going with the flow. I guess I did still want to try and stick with Kain until we had a chance for a good, real duel to settle things, but…that kind of just became not important as time went on. Really, right now I'm just sticking with him and trying to help him realize his dreams. That's enough for me…maybe I'll find some of my own. I'm still a kid, after all, just trying to learn to be human instead of a _yôkai_. But why do you ask?"

"Ah…w-well…I was just curious. Kain- _sensei_ 's big dream…makes him seem so adult and all, like Kazumi says sometimes. It makes me realize how childish and foolish I really am. I like my art and music clubs, but I can't really say that I have much of a goal right now, anything I want to do with my life. I've been spending the last few months being a slave, of course, and haven't had any energy to think of such things, but…assuming that Kain- _sensei_ continues winning, I won't be a slave anymore in a couple of days, and then we'll go back home, and…I think I'm starting to really wonder just what I want to do with myself afterward.

"A-also…well…Kamo- _san_ was telling us that we should start thinking about trying to protect ourselves…Miki- _chan_ and the rest of us, I mean…by making some of those…contract things…and I guess I'm trying to take this idea seriously…."

"Y-Yukari- _chan_ …?" Kazumi asked, surprised. "Is that why you were asking me about them…? But…."

"W-well, I certainly don't want to be just another girl added to Kain- _sensei_ 's collection! I-I mean…there is sense in it, regardless…but Kamo- _san_ said that we didn't necessarily _have_ to make a contract with Kain- _sensei_ , if there was another mage-like person who was willing to make it with us instead, like Kenjirô- _kun_ or Kajirô- _kun_. A-and, just for myself, to be honest of all those I'd rather…that is, I'd feel more com…no, less uncomfortable making it with Kenjirô- _kun_ …."

"Look at that, Kazumi- _san_ ," Kenjirô remarked to the other girl. "I've been promoted to the least of three evils."

"I-in any case!" Yukari plunged ahead over Kenjirô's indirect needle. "I've had plenty of time to hear all about it…all that these contracts mean, and everything. We can just use them for a quick…well, like a video game short-duration power up so that we can get out of this alive, but that does feel unfair. If I make this contract, I'm making promises to support Kenjirô- _kun_ , right? I…no matter what, I don't think I can just do it if there's no…reason to fulfill that promise. So…."

"So you want to know where I'm headed," Kenjirô finished. "I understand. Well, right now, I think I'm content to follow Kain…since I, after all, am his disciple by that same kind of contract. And I think that's something I can enjoy. There's not a lot I can do in the civilized world…well, I'm still young, a kid myself, so if I buckled down and focused I _guess_ I could go to high school and study and then go to college and learn to become a doctor or a lawyer or at least an office worker, some sort of salary man. But even if I'm learning to temper my fighting instincts, I don't think I could live a peaceful life like that. I'd do much better following Kain, and helping him care for the less fortunate of this world as a member of the White Wings. That's probably my goal. It's not an easy life a girl like you can follow me in." Kenjirô smiled at the girl, daring her to contradict him.

Yukari fell silent. "Well, maybe. Thanks, Kenjirô- _kun_. You've given me something to think about." She suddenly jumped to her feet, her food finished. "Now, that's enough of this serious stuff! We're having fun at the Festival now, right? C'mon, Kenjirô- _kun_! Look! See if you can win one of those animals for Kazumi. And you might as well win me one, too, while you're at it…."

Chuckling, Kenjirô let himself be led by Yukari and Kazumi and lost himself in the games.

8-8-8

"How are you doing, Izumi- _san_?" Kain asked the girl at his side.

"A-ah, I'm fine!" Izumi replied cheerfully, emerging from her thoughts. "It…it's great, being able to take a break and see the Festival with you!"

"Yeah…it's good to have some peace like this. Just a few more days, Izumi- _san_ , and you'll be free. Just wait a little longer."

"R-right. I believe in you, Kalan- _san_. I'm trusting you!"

"Just leave it to me."

Izumi, however, noticed something in his voice, in his bearing. The usual unflappable, confident, glowing Kalan she had come to know was buried under this air of disquiet and trepidation. "Kalan- _san_...are you really all right?"

The earnestness in Izumi's voice brought Kain up short. He acutely felt the weight of her feelings…of Izumi's confession to his younger self. He couldn't bring himself to counter this accusation. "Well, to be honest…the more I find out, the less confident I feel…."

"R-really? B-but…."

"Oh—no, I don't mean it like that! Of course I intend to win!"

"I-I see…that man, who almost killed you…you'll be facing him next…that must be frightening…."

"Byakuya? Oh, well, not really…I'm excited for my rematch, honestly. But, as strange as it seems to say…the one I'm really frightened of…is the final opponent I'll face, Aiden Rylack. He's the one who helped me and trained me after I lost to Kuchiki Byakuya. He…will be the most terrifying opponent I've ever faced…."

"But…if he's your master, or whatever, isn't he just doing this to test you? Won't he just stand aside and let you win…?"

"Apparently not. He's not giving me an easy way out. He wants to make sure I'm _really_ strong enough. If there's no threat of defeat…then the prize of victory means nothing." He smiled to himself, thinking of Sakura. "I've faced that before. No, he'll be true to his word, to force all he can out of me."

"Well, in that case, you should be fine, right? I mean, I've seen you fight…I've been watching you all this time…and you really are strong. The customers at the shop talk a lot, and a lot of them say that Aiden Rylack is just an old scoundrel good-for-nothing who became a hero just out of sheer luck…."

Kain chuckled, almost derisively. "I wish that were the case…although sheer luck itself can be terrifying if there's enough of it. But the truth is a whole different story. Someone who lucked into it…would almost better describe his friend, the Grand Archmage."

 _('The Grand Archmage…Kain-_ sensei _'s father, and Kalan-_ san _'s uncle….')_

"I don't mean to disparage that man, of course, but I just mean that his talents were…almost a total fluke. The Lockeheart family has good magical genes in it, but until his generation, there was nothing remarkable about us. Then he came out of nowhere—a boy who had more power any other living being, more than men, than dragons, than demons. He had incredible talents and worked hard…but there was no explanation, no impetus…but for Aiden Rylack, there's an entirely different story. He is now known as a treasure-hunter, a hero, an explorer, a great many things, and a rather carefree celebrity…but he had to climb quite a path to get there.

"Kamo- _kun_ …Kain's ermine, you know, is actually a magical spirit who was a companion of his father's…I finally asked him to tell me about Aiden's past. And he complied…."

8-8-8

 _["I shouldn't talk a lot about it," Kamo said. "It's not my place. It's not a pretty story, and he only grudgingly told it to a few of us. I can understand why. But I should give you a rundown, help you understand who he is._

 _"Aiden's family is a mage family, kind of like yours—mages, but not remarkable ones, who preferred living on Earth in quiet places. Aiden was born and grew up near Boston, site of some of the strongest magical communities in America. But then, when he was twelve years old…his community was wiped out, everyone else slaughtered, and only Aiden was left alive. Aiden was found by a traveling mage named Comstock who was investigating the area. Comstock took Aiden in and started to teach the boy._

 _"Comstock was a mage-assassin, famed as the 'Dark Bullet' who was after a certain black wizard, the one who had destroyed Aiden's home, killing all the mages in the community and taking their souls for his dark magic. Aiden had survived because he had instinctively saved himself with magic—innate magic he had within himself had blossomed in response to his life being endangered. This was, of course, a Lost Magic, Entropy Magic, and Comstock knew a little about it. He offered to teach Aiden how to use his powers and more of his own skills so that he could get revenge on the mage with his own hands. The boy agreed, and the two began to travel together, taking out other objectives in Comstock's contracts on the side in order to help Aiden's growth along. Aiden realized that Comstock was a brutal and rather pragmatic man in his business, but Aiden's own thirst for revenge dulled his feelings towards it and he drank in everything Comstock could give him._

 _"Finally, when Aiden was about fifteen, a little older than you, they tracked down the man responsible and Aiden killed him with his own hands. It wasn't nearly as sweet and satisfying as he thought it would be, but to Comstock it was nothing at all, and he immediately took Aiden off to his next job. Shortly after this, however, he went too far._

 _"You see, Kain, the magical society on Earth isn't as quiet and peaceful as you might think. The group that controls and connects the mages in the western US and across the ocean in Japan is strong and strict, and the Kansai/Kanto trouble we ran into before notwithstanding, generally there aren't a whole lot of real troubles that happen there. On the East Coast and in Europe, however, the ancient mage families are all more impressed with their own lineages and their personal pursuits than the balance and order of the world, and so they control things behind the scenes a lot more, taking out personal vendettas and starting mini-wars between each other, all while using their absurd powers, both magic and political, to hush up any knowledge of it. Comstock was the kind of man who thrived in this environment, and he worked for anyone and everyone, killing other mages for the right price. But finally Aiden had had enough of him, after he blew up an entire apartment complex to kill his hiding target. Aiden's memory of what he found in the aftermath is too chilling to relate to you right now, so suffice to say that Aiden swore it would never happen again._

 _"Comstock was still too strong for him, and he beat Aiden and left him alive, warning him not to cross his path again…but Aiden didn't listen, of course. He journeyed around the world, gathering more power, more spells, more artifacts, and more skills, until he was able to confront his former mentor once again and finally killed him. Then he washed his hands of all the mage wars and departed into Arcanus Myrror to follow his dream and become an archaeologist, a treasure hunter, a man who could (mostly) peacefully unearth the wonders and mysteries of the magic world's impressive past._

 _"Aiden was never intending to be 'The Mage-Killer' but it's what he became…through blood and tears and horrors even you can hardly imagine. It might be the fate of those so touched by Entropy, but it's no less tragic…and it is what's shaped him into what he is today. His scoundrel attitude, his games, his blasé reaction to dangerous situations—that's the shell he's built to hide what's happening under the surface."]_

8-8-8

"He's more than a scoundrel," Kain explained. "I…got to see records of some of his exploits, the exploits of the Red Wings, and in that group, only my…only the Grand Archmage was more impressive. And I've been researching him, looking for a weakness that might be recorded, something actually usable in combat, but…the more I find, the more invincible he seems. He was raised and trained to be a mage-assassin, he mastered his skills alongside the Grand Archmage, and over the years he almost accidentally perfected his skills from his adventures in treasure-hunting and archaeology, gathering all sorts of rare and powerful artifacts to boost his power, discovering some ancient spells and secrets he could use, and just mastering his combat from the slumbering creatures and monsters that stood in his way. Those kinds of feats likely didn't make the major news of most places…but it was enough to impress the well-studied judges of this contest, who ranked him first seed, even ahead of the nearly immortal _hinigami_ , Kuchiki Byakuya. It was strength raised and bred from a lifetime of heartache and hard work. Compared to that, the Grand Archmage, who surpassed that strength as a child, was the real fluke. There's no trick to Aiden's strength." Kain laughed. "You could even say that I'm more of a fluke myself, as young as I am, trying to match up to seasoned heroes like those two."

"He's really that incredible?" Izumi asked. "How…do you intend to defeat someone like that?"

Kain shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know yet. First I have to survive against Byakuya. After that…." Kain laughed again. "I'm sorry. Here I am, trying to show you a good time, and all I'm doing is depressing you. C'mon…let's forget about that and have some fun. Don't worry, Izumi- _san_ …no matter what, I'll get you freed."

"R-right…don't worry, Kalan- _san_ …after coming this far…no matter what…I'll believe in you…."

8-8-8

Most of the party went out to enjoy the Festival that evening. Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippô, Yoshimori and Tokine were seeing it together. Fairy Tail went out celebrating Natsu's continued success, dragging Nodoka and Ami with them. Most of the Soul Reapers were out on their own, or keeping an eye on various other members.

There was a feeling running through them, unspoken…that this might be the last unburdened moment they would have to relax before the finale to come….

8-8-8

The two returned to the arena in the early evening. After Izumi thanked 'Kalan' for his time and company and had headed inside first, a voice called out to the man.

Kain turned and saw Tôkasa standing in the shadows of an alley. "What do you want, Tôkasa?" he asked mildly.

"Just come here a second," the man said. "I got something to talk about…in private…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Reaching the Climax_

 _And here we are, approaching the top of the tournament! Only three fights remain—Kain and Byakuya, Aiden and Natsu, and then the championship…._

 _Of course, there are other things going on below the surface. Delryn is a rather unusual young man…with a healthy male appetite, he's been flirting shamelessly and trying to woo the girls around him, without much seriousness and certainly without any strong feelings. However, this natural playboy has troubles being honest and figuring out how to handle genuine romantic feelings and relationships. He finally fell (finished falling, you could say) for Akari in a rather amusing fashion, after she struck him and chastised him for being a, well, whiner. Now he's actively pursuing her, as well as he bumblingly can. It's an interesting match._

 _And that kind of leaves Kiami and Hikaru together. Kiami has always been a flirtatious, mischievous girl herself, and never seemed too interested in anyone or anything except games. However…sometimes childhood friendships are just that, and sometimes they are something more…and sometimes they can grow that direction. For Kiami, Hikaru was someone worth pursuing, but with Akari around, she was unable (or unwilling) to push the issue. With Akari being hooked by a new angler, however, she feels that this has opened up her own prey for pursuit. And as for Hikaru…he's always cared a great deal about both of his friends, and he's certainly willing to see how far those feelings can go._

 _Kenjirô is, as has been expressed before, rather aware of Yukari's reluctant feelings, and is content waiting while she gets up the courage to act on them._

 _And Izumi is still obsessed with Kalan, of course…but things are going to become complicated…._

 _We'll get back to that eventually. Right now, Kalan vs. Byakuya is more important._


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Seven: I Got a Name

The excited crowd poured into the arena, well ahead of the scheduled first match. This was what everyone had been waiting for—the culmination. With the semifinals, the truly greatest fighters were now squaring off for their chance at glory.

Kain's fearful students and apprehensive friends gathered in their seats. The waited impatiently as Koto took the stage and began to make her introductory presentations.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this, the fifth day of the Kalan Lockeheart Cup! This incredible tournament, featuring the greatest fighters the world has ever seen, is showing us an even grander scene on this, the 20th Anniversary of the world's victory and salvation! Never before has the tournament seen a Final Four quite like this!

"There has been everything you could ask for in this tournament! A youthful but impressive heir of the heroes of days gone by! A duel between two master swordsmen, the youth surpassing the legendary previous generation! A true underdog overcoming foe after favored foe! A mysterious reincarnation of the heroic savior! And two of the mighty heroes themselves, heading straight for a confrontation in the championship!

"And so here they are: the four greatest fighters this tournament has ever scene! Initially ranked twentieth, Natsu Dragneel, 'The Salamander', a mage of Fairy Tail, a wielder of the Lost Magic, Dragonslayer Magic, this man has terrorized his foes and fought his way through some brutal competition, even overcoming the 4th Seed, Horn Il-Durn, BattleMage of Halteese, and the 5th Seed, the rogue Warlock Richard! The incredible dark horse rounding out the Final Four!

"The man whose appearance has rocked this world, with his name, appearance, and strength: Kalan Lockeheart! Mysteries surround this man: what relation is he to the hero of old? Is he playing us, or is there something supernatural here? Can he possibly live up to that name? So far, we have no answers…we only know that he has thus far lived up to all his lofty expectations!

"One of the most famous of the _hinigami_ captains who guard over this world: Kuchiki Byakuya! The captain who traveled alongside Kalan Lockeheart himself, the most famous head of the renowned and powerful Kuchiki clan of the Seireitei! His motives for engaging in this 'mortal' sport are unclear, but he has mercilessly crushed all comers, including Delryn Rylack, the son of his own former companion!

"And speaking of that man…Aiden Rylack himself is our #1 Seed! The master treasure-hunter, archaeologist, mercenary, the man who has seen the length and breadth of Arcanus Myrror, member of the Red Wings, a man who has stared into the abyss and even passed through it to the other side! Favored to win this tournament, can anyone take the prize from this man?

"It begins now! The Semifinals of the 14th Lockeheart Cup…starts! Let's bring out our first competitors!"

Kain and Byakuya walked slowly out onto the stage. Byakuya walked as he always had…slow, measured and dignified. Kain's gait, usually a hurried, purposeful stride, almost nervous or afraid, was slower, more measured itself, not with dignity, nor trepidation, but with subtle acceptance.

"Our first battle! Kuchiki Byakuya and Kalan Lockeheart…begin!"

Kain went first. Instantly, without a word or any hesitation at all, he activated _kanka_ and charged in, bringing a high-powered punch straight into Byakuya. The man half-drew his sword to block the strike, then threw Kain away by completing his draw. "What an aggressive beginning," Byakuya noted. "That was not an attack of desperation, by one who believes he must hit first and hardest in order to win a disadvantageous battle…why this unusual haste?"

"I'm just not in a mood to waste time," Kain replied. "We already had our preliminary over two months ago. This is the real deal; let's not play around. Release your _Bankai_ already—nothing else, even in your impressive repertoire, is going to stop me at this point. In return, I'll come at you with my best, and we'll settle this as we should."

Byakuya actually smiled slightly and gave an ever-so-slight chuckle. "In the past, I would have been insulted by your presumption. But time and experience have taught me to offer more respect to the callow youths that catch my attention." Byakuya reverse-gripped his sword. "Just by coming this far, you have more than earned the right to see this." And he dropped it. " _Bankai_. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Kain stared at the thousand swords that emerged from the ground. He reversed his flow and activated his True _Kanka_ as they disintegrated into that fog of pink petals and began to descend upon him. The power began to radiate out from him, and a nimbus of visible bright white energy began to stream from his shoulders.

Kain blasted into the air, right through the cloud, scattering it, and stopped in the sky. He grabbed a quick spell and then hurled it at Byakuya. The Soul Reaper half-turned to allow the shot to fly past, and showed no reaction even as the shot detonated in a massive explosion behind him. Kain dove in towards Byakuya, and then stepped behind him. The white-clad captain foresaw his tactic and stepped away beautifully, and Kain was soon swarmed again by the mass of pink and was forced to retreat.

" _Hadô_ 31: _Shakka-ho_." Byakuya sent a blast of fire flying Kain's way. Kain dodged, but suddenly his foe was behind him, a glowing monochrome pink sword in his hand, and the boy just narrowly avoided the strike that came.

Kain retaliated, drawing his sword and unleashing a blast of sword pressure. The pink petals swept around to block the attack, and Kain attempted to move in behind him…but the storm was already there, waiting for him.

"Do not underestimate my _Bankai_ ," Byakuya informed the young man. "Your step was slow…you could not make a direct movement to this position, correct? The million fluttering blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi disrupt the atmosphere, making it almost impossible to teleport or use a quick step through it, as you've discovered. The time it takes for the two steps, once to clear the Senbonzakura and the second to move into the flank, is far too long in this kind of a battle. To successfully evade this is one thing…to attack through it is quite another, and requires a most unusual speed. Still, you are not doing poorly. Proceed…show me what you can do." Again the mass of glittering pink came towards him.

Kain charged his power and blasted into the cloud, planning to ram straight through it and into his foe. As he burst past the mass, however, he suddenly came face to face with another horde…of glowing pink swords. They flew in, and Kain was forced to dodge and weave around them….

" _Hadô_ 73: _Sôren Sôkatsui_!" The blast took Kain and slammed him into the ground.

 _('Yes…he's strong. As strong as I thought…no, more so. I saw a measure of his strength…but he's also had twenty years to increase his power, to train…and probably, this entire time, he's been chasing the same shadow I have….')_

"You realize, now, do you?" Byakuya admonished him as Kain retreated to the opposite side of the arena. "Do not overlook this battle, boy. You have grown remarkably strong, but you have not yet reached the maturity of man. Even now, your gaze wanders. The son of Aiden Rylack was concerned with his own name, with surpassing the title that was his inheritance, and thus he erred, disregarding the privileges he was given. Your flaw is contrary—you obsess over the man who came before you, and you are unable to see anything else. You have even taken his name in order to be closer to him. Your respect for your honored forebear is just and proper…but you cannot let it cloud your vision. You must seek to claim your own place as well…not simply follow along with what is expected of you…whether as the son of Kalan Lockeheart, or as the teacher of those girls. Tell me, son of Lockeheart…for what reason are you striving to defeat me? For what reason are you trying to win this tournament? For what reason do you oppose the Obsidian Star?"

Kain stared back at Byakuya. "Reason? I have all sorts…but most of all, for the sake of my students, my friends, and for all those who might suffer at the hands of the Obsidian Star…."

"For them? Very noble. If it is the truth. Are you certain…that this your purpose…that you do not fight because it is expected of you?"

Kain remained silent. Byakuya continued, "Hear well the words of one who has walked that path. As the heir and eventual head of the Kuchiki Clan, I did many things, nay, I performed nearly all my actions in answer to the expectations that were upon me. The one who woke me from that dream was your father, Kalan Lockeheart. For the sake of 'expectations', for 'what must be done', for 'the law', I attempted to kill even my own sister, in direct violation of my oath to my wife. Kalan Lockeheart stopped me, and showed me what I should be fighting for. Now then, what is that you should be fighting for? If it is for the sake of those precious to you, that is good…just as long as you are also willing to step aside if that is required. If you must choose between them and the expectations on you, make sure you choose well."

Kain continued his silent stare as Byakuya seemed to finish. "I understand what you're saying," he said finally. "I'm rather surprised, though. I didn't expect you to talk so much. Are you going to tell me what kinds of choices like that I should expect?"

Byakuya gave a light chuckle. "You are right. It is not in my character to lecture. Those under me generally know their expectations and duties…but although they lack your strength, they have a great deal more years of maturity and temperance in them. I cannot tell you how to act…I simply wished to warn you of a trap that I foresee haunting you." He gathered the blades of his _Bankai_ into a cloud of more visible swords by him. "There shall be no more words. Show me your growth, your strength, and your resolve…defeat me, as is the expectation upon you."

The swords came darting towards Kain….

8-8-8

Renji and Rukia stared down at the arena in rapture. "I've never seen the captain so serious," Renji remarked. "Even if…even if that's the son of the hero, to even merit this kind of attack…."

" _Nii-sama_ can't do any less for the son of Kalan Lockeheart," Rukia remarked. "No…Kalan Lockeheart is the only man who ever defeated him. His son…Kain Lockeheart is impressive in his own right. Even for _Nii-sama_ , this is not an easy fight."

Jade watched the battle on one side of Emperor Peony as they sat in the Grandall VIP booth, with Field Marshal Overcast on Peony's other side. _('A battle of this level…there for the world to see. What a tournament for the 20_ _th_ _anniversary of Kalan Lockeheart's victory…a duel that is grander than any previous final is now relegated to semi-final. A champion of the Seireitei, and our own war-mage, the son of that hero…it almost seems tragic that we're distracted by this incredible event while the Obsidian Star is lurking under the surface of this city, but we really have no choice….')_

"What is Kain- _sensei_ doing?" muttered Hinagiku. "He…should be doing better than that…shouldn't he?"

"Kain- _sensei_ …isn't experienced with an enemy like this," Momo explained. "The only real experience he's had fighting a spiritual being is his spars with me…and there's no comparison between the two of us, between me and Kuchiki- _taichô_ , not in power, in speed, in ability, no, not even in my specialty, _kidô_. And especially, the power of my sword against the fury of that _Bankai_ …it's like comparing a firecracker to a major bomb."

"Even so…Kain hasn't had to really go this far yet," Mai explained. "That power of his…he hasn't yet been able to really test the limits of it. Although it's the same True _Kanka_ he 'invented' during the Mahora Festival, it wasn't…I don't know, complete, I guess. Even against Sakura- _san_ , Kain had to be careful with it. Now…with that strange body he's gotten…he's able to call on it a lot more. There might not be a limit to it…but Kain is careful, and afraid of himself as much as anything…he hasn't yet used it enough with this new body of his to be comfortable."

"A fight like this will help him learn," Inuyasha pointed out, sitting behind Mai, Hinagiku and Momo, next to Kagome. "He'll have to. Just what they're doing…that power they've got is setting my nerves on edge. This is your teacher you always talked about, Kagome? Heh. I'll say this for him…he's something, all right…."

"Look at that swordsmanship," Erza remarked. "It's incredible…I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. They are both master spellcasters with their respective magics as well, but just with those swords…as a swordswoman myself, I feel completely inadequate watching them."

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Lucy pleaded. "I mean, I kn-know they're good, but you can't tell me even _you_ feel discouraged watching this…."

"Kain- _sensei_ …" Nodoka murmured. "Will he really…be all right…?"

"What are you talking about?" Lina retorted. "Don't worry so much, Nodoka. You've been watching him long enough, haven't you? _I_ have only heard the tales—but even from what I've seen…no, I hate to admit it, but he's no longer the nervous little kid I was dragging through secret spell libraries…."

"Kain Lockeheart," Erika said wistfully. "The boy who outfoxed the Princess Infernal, Alysaser. The boy who overcame the Obsidian Star in Kyoto. The boy took down the _mazoku_ Graf Wilhelm Josef von Hermann. The boy who saved the future of the mage society from the time-traveling _hinigami_ captain, Sanada Sakura. The boy who has led us all this far. No, he hasn't reached his limit yet. He's just getting started…."

"Everything we started three months ago is coming to a head at this moment," Nanami said. "This is our teacher, Kain Lockeheart- _sensei_ …the boy who will never let us down!"

"You're not even at the finish line yet, you idiot," grumbled Chisame. "You can't stumble here. I know you can do a whole hell of a lot better than this…you did better against Kenjirô. Don't let this guy push you around!"

"'The White Wings'," Saber murmured quietly. "Even the name of your unlikely party was taken to honor us…but now is the test. You are aiming to stand alongside us…that's the whole reason for this, isn't it? Now is the time for you to prove that you can. There are no excuses…not age, not inexperience, not temperament. If you wish you stand on that stage, this is the only time you can."

8-8-8

Kain shot out of the way of Byakuya's oncoming blizzard, moving at high speed, flying freely, but not with steps. Byakuya turned to follow him, and the storm came next. Kain continued to move, flying around, seeking for an opening. Byakuya's cloud was fast, but Kain was faster, even relying on this somewhat mundane method of movement.

But racing in a circle was also predictable, and Byakuya waved a hand, speeding up his _Bankai_ …and causing it to move even faster, not chasing Kain, but moving to intercept him. A blast of energy from his hand cleared the first wave of it, and he somersaulted in midair over the rest and turned to evade by passing it heading straight down. He hit the ground and, the way to Byakuya clear, stepped into his flank.

"Impressive, but predictable," Byakuya declared, slashing his sword around….

But Kain was now positioned in his front, not his flank, and this counterattack turned Byakuya away from his foe. By the time he recognized the deceptive move, Kain was already lashing out, hitting him with a sidekick. He followed this strike with a blast of flame from his off-hand, but the shards of Senbonzakura came sweeping in to block the attack. Immediately after, the swarm turned on Kain again, separating into streams and driving towards Kain in drilling waves.

Kain dodged and weaved the strikes, using steps as necessary to avoid them, but his defense was forcing him further and further from Byakuya. He began to gather energy in his hands, and then paused slightly. He waited for the swarms to converge on him, and then unleashed a blast of magic to scatter the blades aside. He then fired a stream of missiles at Byakuya….

…Who was no longer down below. The missiles impacted empty ground. Byakuya put his finger to the back of Kain's shoulder. " _Hadô_ 4: Byakurai."

There was a massive explosion…and when the smoke cleared, both Kain and Byakuya were unharmed. _('Impossible…he blocked that spell in that time at that distance?')_

 _('That was a close one,')_ Kain thought in reply. _('I owe Momo most of all for this fight…if I hadn't trained with her, I wouldn't know anything at all about these Soul Reaper spells, but thanks to her, I at least have an idea of how they work….')_

He manifested a black orb around Byakuya, a globe of gravity magic, but Byakuya stepped down to the ground without much apparent harm. The blades of Senbonzakura, likewise, came streaming in at him without trouble.

Kain dodged and weaved again, and then retreated as several small clusters again fused into sword shapes and shot out to impale him more directly. As he cleared the latest danger and settled back upon the ground, Byakuya was suddenly upon him, swinging with one of his glimmering swords in one hand. They began to exchange furious parries and ripostes, both using a one-handed sword style. For Kain, this was odd—not that he was using it, as a more fencing-like one-handed style was his general method anyway. However, Byakuya had been a very standard _kenjutsu_ (or, for the _hinigami_ , _zanjutsu_ ) practitioner, using one-handed killing thrusts on the draw and in disdainful finishing blows but otherwise, in dueling, using two hands for superior strength and control, the same kind of skills he was used to from Momo, but at a much higher skill. Now, however, Byakuya was using only a single hand….

And then Byakuya's other hand came up and opened…and a stream of high-speed Senbonzakura projectiles came barreling for Kain's head.

 _('And I saw that, too….')_ Kain just moved his head aside to avoid the blast, then grabbed Byakuya's outstretched arm. Before he could establish a lock, however, Byakuya managed to step away.

"You're not…I don't know, not what I expected," Kain chuckled. "Maybe I didn't expect you to be someone who could be unexpected, although now I sound like a bad comedian doing double-talk."

"Even if Aiden Rylack showed you some of the events of our past, you would be foolish to believe that you could learn about one who has hundreds of years on you in such a short amount of time," Byakuya replied. "Nonetheless, you are to be commended for forcing all these tricks from my hand…and surviving them. But the battle is far from decided. Come…let us continue."

8-8-8

"How long has this even been going on? Five minutes? Ten? More? We've seen some amazing things in this tournament, but neither of these fighters seems to be slowing down! It's like they're _both_ immortal! You folks in the audience can't tell because you're behind that protective shield, but down here, I tell you, it's a storm just being on the sideline! Each fighter has gotten a few good licks in and blooded his sword once, but neither seems ready to give up, slow down, take advantage, or give ground! It's a real awe-inspiring duel here!"

"As the girl Koto- _chan_ says, this is incredible," remarked Shunsui. "To think the kid could match Byakuya not only in skill, but in endurance, all while using that crazy power-up…we talk about 'Captain-class' so easily, but like this, Kain- _kun_ has proven his level. Even Kalan- _kun_ wasn't this strong when he showed up in Soul Society…well…at least not until he got those Quincy powers of his under control."

"He's doing well," agreed Jûshirô. "I can't say I'm surprised, but…I'm still impressed. Byakuya isn't holding back or anything of the sort, not that I ever thought he would. He isn't one to play games or take it easy, and so the sheer amount of strange tricks he's using, differing techniques and ways to use that _Bankai_ of his, his placement and use of spells…it's all proof that he views Kain- _kun_ as that much of a threat."

"Considering his parentage, his spiritual powers should at least be potentially equal to his father's," noted Rangiku. "What would that boy be like if he became a _hinigami_? It would be amazing to see…."

"I doubt he could ever be one now," Tôshirô replied. "He's sacrificed the opportunity…in a way, I think you could say that he's already more than a _hinigami_ could ever be. Whether it's enough…only time will tell." He glanced over at Momo. _('This is your 'teacher', Hinamori? You've taught him well, yourself…yes, it's easy to see how he's 'his' son. Even so….')_

"Kain- _sensei_ will win," Rei stated quietly.

Rin glanced askew at her. "You seem awfully sure about that. It looks pretty even to me."

"She is right," Archer said softly from her shoulder. "They seem fully matched…but neither one is slowing down or losing energy. They are both equivalently immortal creatures, and seem equal in skill, intelligence, strategy, power…but if you look deeper, you will see the truth."

8-8-8

Over the course of the battle, Kain had been undergoing a visible change. The nimbus around his shoulders had been growing, changing…slowly, they seemed to be growing out, blossoming into full, glittering white wings of energy, looking more and more, every moment, like the wings of, for want of a better description, an angel. Kain did not pump them to fly or seem to use them for their expected purpose…indeed, he seemed not to even realize they were there, although he somehow, consciously or subconsciously, none could tell, began to beat back his opponent with them, blocking attacks and on occasion reaching out with them to attack and grapple in a fashion more akin to arms or even tentacles than wings. At the same time, it was also apparent to the most experienced fighters among them that, contrary to growing tired and losing power, he was growing stronger as his wings became larger and more visible.

 _('The boy truly is incredible,')_ Byakuya thought as their blades clashed. _('In his fighting, in his instincts, in his abilities…he is completely different than his father. No, there is seen more of the mark of his mother. But in his determination, his desire and drive to succeed…in that is both of them. I do not know what trick Aiden used on him, to make him into this, this strange physical manifestation, or this mental juggernaut…but it is clearly his victory to have survived whatever ordeal forced them upon him._

 _('I do not know if you are alive or dead, Kalan Lockeheart, but I wonder…can you see this boy of yours? Can you behold this child? He chases after you with all his heart, and that chase has been perhaps the greatest gift he has been given by your legacy. He has proven worthy of everything he has sought…._

 _('It is time to end this, to perform the final phase of this test….')_

" _Hadô_ 88: _Hiryû Gekizoku Shinten Raihô_ [Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Striking Thunder Cannon]." A massive explosion of electrical and spiritual energy flew out and engulfed Kain. He escaped the blast by flying back up into the air…and suddenly he found the shards of Senbonzakura flying around him…encompassing him entirely in a globe of churning, drifting, flittering death.

" _Gôkei_ [Mawscape]," Byakuya explained from outside the phenomenon. "The million blades of Senbonzakura encompass the target, cutting off all avenues of escape. The victim is struck down from all sides, by an attack with no blind spots. Now, how will you defend yourself against this?"

Kain glanced around at the readying death. _('He's certainly correct—this is not easy to escape. As he explained earlier, that mass of flittering_ reiatsu _disrupts the atmosphere as well…or at least the sense of it. I can teleport through it, but I'd be doing so blind, and I'd have no idea where or how I'd end up…but it would be an escape…._

 _('…It's unlikely he doesn't realize that…is that what he's hoping for…?_

 _('Well…I suppose I do have one other option….')_

"Collapse, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The spherical formation did indeed collapse upon that command, creating an explosion of force that forced even Byakuya to flash step away, to the edge of the arena away from the center of impact.

"W-what an attack!" Koto gasped, shielding herself from the aftershock. "It was like a megaton bomb going off in the air! Is there even going to be anything left of Kalan Lockeheart after that!? What a horrifying attack delivered by Kuchiki Byakuya! I s-still can't see anything through that cloud of pink petals that are still floating around…let me see…they're starting to disperse…this is…!"

Byakuya stared up at the sight as well, waiting, watching…and although his expression did not change, he seemed to tense just slightly in surprise as the petals finally swept away, revealing Kain floating in the air, in the same location he had been, calm and seemingly unharmed, still adorned by those brilliant white wings. "That was…" Byakuya began.

"That's right…this cloak." Kain brushed lightly at it with his hand to accentuate his words—the adornment had almost become lost in the midst of the new magical accessories radiating from his shoulders. "I didn't really think that there was much to it except for its dimensional storage capacities, at least until I saw my father use it in a dream-memory of Alyssa Searrs. Since then, I've been using it quite a bit, for all sorts of reasons, and have been practicing with it…as you realized during our first duel back in Granicus. This cloak is an artifact of time and space, and makes a great focus for all sorts of spells that call on those kinds of rare and lost magics. The attack from all sides, encompassing its victim, leaving no blind spot or avenue of escape…so the only way to escape it is by not being there when it happens. There are a couple ways to do that, but in this case, I just jumped myself forward a few seconds into the future, after the attack had already finished."

"Well done," Byakuya congratulated him. "You truly have arisen to a new level. You have passed that test and survived…it is time to bring this prolonged battle to a close." He began to gather the shards to him, forming them into a new glowing shape. "You likely have seen this attack before. If you can withstand it, you will have taken an important step towards walking that path you so desperately follow. It will mean that I have no more ability to defeat you."

Kain watched as the _Shûkei_ , the 'Endscape', formed around Byakuya, giving him his 'White Emperor Sword', along with its shining wings. He chuckled. "Yes…I remember that well. Let's do it, then…." He began to gather his own power and set himself for this final confrontation.

"I-it seems like our two combatants are preparing to put a finale to this battle!" Koto shrieked. "I-I'm not sure I want to be anywhere near when it goes off, but it's my duty to see this through…!"

The warriors exploded into each other. The blast of energy they released engulfed the two of them….

There was a sudden burst in this stressed-out bubble of power, and the two combatants went flying out of the attack. Byakuya hit on his feet and one hand, and slid to the edge of the platform. Kain landed roughly, bounced up, but managed to plant himself on his second drop and slid his own way to his edge. Both seemed seared and bloodied all at once, with aggravated wounds and red staining their clothes. Kain's wings had finally drained off and dispersed, his _kanka_ obviously gone, leaving him appearing once again quite mortal.

A mass of light had been engulfing Byakuya on his trip, but it seemed to be draining quickly away even as he traveled. By the time he came to a stop, the last of the light faded away from the object in his hand, leaving him holding his sealed _zanpaku-tô_. He smiled slightly. "Yes. That was most impressive." His sword suddenly cracked and shattered, breaking off near the hilt.

Kain managed to pull himself fully to his feet, and he stared across at Byakuya. The man bent down and picked up his broken sword blade. He walked slowly across the arena floor to Kain standing on the other side.

"This battle is yours," he said quietly to Kain as he walked up to him and continued past him. "You have passed every challenge I could give you. One test remains for you on this path you have chosen. I expect you to pass it as well. Do not disappoint me." Then he stepped out of the arena and, with a _shunpo_ , disappeared.

Kain stared after the man, as did Koto, who had finally been rendered silent by this unusual finish to the match. The announcer fox _yôkai_ finally found her voice. "I-it appears…well, I'm just lost for words after that finish. Both competitors suffered horrific wounds from that final attack, worse than they've suffered during the rest of their battles! But after that terrible exchange, Kuchiki Byakuya seems to have withdrawn from the match! He has apparently surrendered this battle to his opponent! Kalan Lockeheart is victorious and will be the first fighter in our tournament to advance to the Finals! What an incredible battle! What an unbelievable finish!"

The crowd erupted into roars and cheers. Kain stared out after Byakuya, unmoving, unblinking, for several moments. Finally he shook life into himself, slipped his sword into his cloak, and then bowed slightly to the adoring crowd.

Kain's watching friends were frozen for several long moments themselves before they finally came to life and began to join the roaring throng. As Kain slowly made his way back to his pit, Kagome rose and began to hurry away…and she was not alone.

8-8-8

The minute the nurse spotted the first of Kain's students trying to poke their heads into the infirmary, she excused herself and slipped out, allowing them to pour in and accost their teacher. "Kain- _sensei_!"

"Easy, easy!" Kain laughed as they rushed in on him. "Ow…I'm pretty roughed up, you know…."

"That's right, allow me," Kagome said, pushing forward. She called on her artifact and used the sword to heal his wounds. "There we are."

"Thank you." Kain turned his face on his myriad friends. "Well…that just leaves one…."

"Are your really okay, Kain- _sens…_ Kalan- _san_?" Kaoru asked, worried.

"You don't have to worry, Konoe- _san_. Kagome's artifact can heal just about anything. That was rough, but now I'm perfectly fine…."

"It still seems incredible," Riku noted. "The two of you mostly just seemed to be playing around, at least until the end there. Was that really serious…?"

"Hard to say just how 'serious' it was," Kain admitted. "He…Byakuya is the kind of man who can push hard without really trying to kill. I…was doing my best to keep up with him. I probably could have pushed it further, harder, but…well, it's as you see. The important thing is, it's over and I've won. Now I just have to finish this."

"Don't act like it's just another tournament victory," Mai scolded him with a smile. "You've fought your way past a true member of the Red Wings. You can't tell me that doesn't mean anything to you."

Kain smiled back. "Maybe. But right now…there's too much else on my mind. Or maybe I'm just numb from the intensity of it all.

"Regardless, we should head back," Kain continued, standing. "I know you're all excited, but there's one more match today, and it should be starting soon…and I want to see all of it. I don't have any illusions on who will win…sorry, Nodoka…but I may see something important in that fight."

"No, it's all right," Nodoka replied with a small smile of her own. "I understand…I trust Natsu- _san_ , but against someone like Aiden Rylack…."

"Still, I think he'll surprise everyone, particularly Aiden- _san_ ," Ami added. "Let's get back, then!"

Kain nodded and started herding them out. "Let's go."

 _('That was…just what I needed,')_ Kain thought. _('As I thought…he really is incredible. This, too…was all because of my father. Thank you, Dad…for everything. This name and legacy you've given me…finally, I have truly taken it to myself. I just hope I can continue to be worthy of it….')_

F I N

 _Author's Note: Clash of Titans_

 _Well! One of the biggest battles concluded, leaving only two more to go! I had Byakuya throw everything up to and including the kitchen sink at Kain. It shows some of his own growth and training over the years and from his battles alongside the Red Wings. Byakuya in Bleach had been a powerful warrior generally able to rely on a small handful of mastered techniques to overcome most of his foes. However, against an enemy like Kain, who always employs unique and well-prepared attacks and spells, that kind of fighting will actually put him behind…at least now that Kain has arisen to be his equal in power. He has learned to expand his repertoire over the years, including from some of the fights we witnessed in the flashbacks Side-Act. He employed a couple of those tricks here and a few adaptations of techniques or tricks he used in the original Bleach._

 _Naturally, this Byakuya is quite different from the one that first confronted Ichigo in Bleach, or the carbon copy that first fought Kalan. Although he largely acts the same most of the time, he has learned quite a bit about temperance, faith, and respect from his time with Kalan and Aeli, making it certain that his companionship with them has not been wasted in the least. He is as much teacher and mentor to Kain here as opponent…he has stoically accepted his role as a test of Kain's growth._

 _And Kain, of course, passes his first real test with flying colors. Although he is still cautious, he does not back down or despair in his battle with Byakuya, but simply takes the lectures and the attacks calmly, deals out his own best shots, and carefully builds his winning strategies. He comes up with his defenses to slip the noose, and then goes all-out to meet and surpass Byakuya in the endgame. The valiant, determined fighter is beginning to truly emerge._

 _Kain carries his daddy's name with him, now…his name, his song and his dream will carry him into his final battle…._


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Eight: Through the Fire and Flames

Kain and his comrades settled back into their seats in the arena, with Kain joining them in the seat in the midst of them that he usually occupied after his own fights on previous days. They arrived just in time—the maintenance wizards had just finished repairing the arena, and Koto was getting ready to give her spiel as the two fighters made their way out to the floor.

"And now, for the second match of the Semifinals! Our first match certainly lived up to its hype…we witnessed an extraordinary exchange of blades, spells, techniques, tricks and tactics! And finally we had an end-all showdown that rocked this arena! And at the end of it all, the mysterious would-be hero Kalan Lockeheart forced Kuchiki Byakuya to surrender, and became our first competitor to reach the Finals!

"Now in the second match we have Aiden Rylack, premier treasure hunter and member of the Red Wings, against Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander, fire wizard of the mage guild Fairy Tail! Will our battle here be as brilliant as our last? There's only one way to find out!"

"Man! I'm all fired up!" Natsu enthused. "That Kai…Kalan guy really is swingin'! I've got to do my best, too! Even if I have to get past this old man!"

Aiden adjusted his hat. "Hmm. Now we have this kid…? A Dragonslayer, huh…?"

8-8-8

"What do you think of this battle?" Ricardo, who was sitting next to Mashiro in the VIP section, asked the child schoolmaster. "Aiden shouldn't have any difficulty with this fight, should he?"

"Well…that would certainly seem to be the case," Mashiro agreed. "Aiden Rylack is the #1 rated fighter in this tournament, a renowned warrior and adventurer even apart from his famous deeds with the Red Wings. His opponent is a young man who, while impressive, isn't particularly well-known or remarkable, not to the standards of his opponent. He shouldn't be of any consequence to Aiden…it's shown by his 20th rank in the seeding. He was strong, but he's not particularly outstanding…he's not even the most famous or powerful wizard in his own guild.

"On the other hand…he did make it this far. This is the fourth round in a row he's been an underdog. He overcame the 4th and 5th seeds already…this kind of battle shouldn't be anything new to him. Despite his one-dimensional ability, he has fought his way forward through tenaciousness and fervor, and he's not suddenly going to turn into a pumpkin here.

"I'm not saying he'll win…but if I were a betting woman, I would lay against the points. Aiden should not expect an easy battle…he certainly won't get it."

"Interesting," Ricardo replied. "Well, let's see if this kid lives up to your generous assessment…."

8-8-8

"Is that meathead really up against one of the original Red Wings?" Shiho asked disdainfully. The youthful HiME group had their patrols off during this battle, and so they were gathered alongside Sargon, watching the match.

Sargon chuckled. "If he's made it this far, he's not to be underestimated. Fiore…it's a small kingdom, like Wind Bloom, one of many on the small and insignificant southern continent, but its powerful mage guilds are well-respected. Did you know, the last nation to attack Fiore was the kingdom of Dalkia, 70 years ago? They were repulsed…not by the country's inconsequential military might, but by the power of its fiercely independent mage guilds, led by Fairy Tail."

"Dragonslayer magic…one of the Lost Magics," Irina said with her borderline excitement as she adjusted her glasses. "The power to take on the elemental affinities of the dragon whose magic you've taken in. It's super-high-class magic that can't be replicated. But then again, Aiden possesses a Lost Magic, too: the magic of Entropy."

Yue brought out her artifact and began to read from it. "Dragonslayer magic: there are only three known cases of 'true' Dragonslayer magic in the world, all of whose actual origins are unknown. There have been attempts to recreate the magic with lacrima, which have been moderately successful. Entropy magic: a Lost Magic that is a Reality-Altering magic, one of the highest-class magic types in existence. It works upon reality by breaking down the physical objects of the world, particularly in coincidental or serendipitous fashion. At its highest level, it is essentially a kind of working 'luck' magic, causing 'fortune' to go awry for the enemies of the caster. Hmm…."

"Ah…um, is that…good?" Arika asked in confusion.

"Remarkable," Nina admitted. "Entropy is a magic that doesn't work with obvious chants or effects…its entire nature is difficult to discern. It is 'believed' that Aiden possesses Entropy magic, but to see it in action…even during this tournament, he has not really seemed too incredibly 'lucky'. Perhaps, finally, we can see it in action…."

8-8-8

"Aiden- _san_ …and Natsu- _san_ …" Nodoka murmured.

"I must admit, it's been great to see Natsu come this far," Lucy admitted. "It does great for the name of Fairy Tail and its Strongest Team, but…I think that this is as far as he can go…."

"He's already done more than fine," Erza said. "Furthermore…he's already been growing from this. The next time we take on the Obsidian Star…he, in particular, will be ready for them."

"I almost don't know who I want to cheer for," Ami put in. "I'm not sure I want to cheer for either of them…."

"Then just watch the fight," Grey suggested. "Regardless, it should be pretty good…."

8-8-8

"Natsu…he's been taking good care of Nodoka- _san_ ," Kenjirô commented. "That Fairy Tail guild…I'd even heard of them while I lived here when I was little. This latest generation is even more impressive than most of their older members, however. And now Natsu Dragneel…I'm not sure if I have a stake in this or not. Part of me is hoping Natsu could win and get rid of Aiden for us..."

"Would that…really be better?" Yukari asked carefully.

Kenjirô laughed. "Well, if that guy's so unstoppable that if he can get past Aiden, maybe he'd be too much for Kain, too. But Kain probably wouldn't have any problem—mentally, at least—going toe-to-toe with Natsu. But Aiden…Kain acts tough, but he's still scared to death of him. I can't blame him. Of all the old guard of the Red Wings…he's definitely the scariest, apart from Kalan himself, of course. He's made it through the tournament with even less effort than Kuchiki Byakuya showed in most of his fights. He's a real legend, still in his prime."

He shrugged and glanced down at Yukari. "Anyway, where's Izumi- _san_ at? I didn't even see her during Kain's fight earlier…."

Yukari looked away, not meeting his eyes. "I'm…not sure…she's had a lot on her mind these past couple days…in any case, the fight's starting…."

8-8-8

"And here we go! Semifinals, fight two…start!"

Natsu blasted off immediately, rocketing in to slug Aiden with his 'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!'

Aiden dodged the attack calmly, casually, bringing his gun up, but Natsu whirled on him with surprising speed, lashing out with a leg and 'Fire Dragon's Talon'. Aiden stepped away from the attack this time, into the air above Natsu, and fired a shot that exploded into magical energy.

Natsu nimbly backflipped away from the attack. While still in midair, he turned back to Aiden and breathed deep before unleashing a blast of dragon's breath. Aiden fired a shot into the flame, causing it to disperse and evaporate, and he followed this by drawing another pistol and letting loose a shot that burst in midair and began to rain a sleet of magical missiles on Natsu.

He disappeared in the midst of the explosion. Aiden set his left hand gun on his shoulder. "That didn't get him…not someone who's come this far…."

And Natsu was behind him, powering a flaming fist. "There we go," Aiden said with a smile, and turned around to block the attack with his forearm. After blocking a few of Natsu's strikes, he managed to kick the man away slightly and then fired both guns at Natsu. Again Natsu vanished as the explosions overwhelmed him….

Aiden was already retreating, and soon Natsu emerged from the explosion, drawing in a deep breath, the wind created from his intake dispersing the cloud of smoke that remained. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu breathed his stream of flame onto Aiden, and this time Aiden disappeared in the blast.

It soon dissipated, however, and Aiden stood unharmed in a circle of scorched earth, holding a slip of paper up before him instead of his second pistol. "Anti-fire talisman," he said somewhat smugly. "A few little tricks like this go a long way…especially against someone like you. You can't hurt me with any of your fire now."

"Oh yeah!? We'll just see about that!" Wrapping flame around his fist, Natsu charged in again.

Aiden calmly dodged his vicious attacks, even as they increased in speed and intensity. Finally he counterattacked, elbowing Natsu in the face and then shooting him in the chest, sending him flying across the arena and out of it.

"W-what a vicious hit! Armed with his fire-resistance charm, Aiden is now immune to his foe's attacks, and very quickly has made this seem a one-sided affair! A heavy favorite, Aiden appears to have already…."

Natsu hopped back into the arena and charged in again. Aiden raised an eyebrow. He parried and blocked a few more desperate strikes, then Natsu lashed him with another stream of fire from his foot and then flashed out his 'Fire Dragon's Wing Attack' and slashed Aiden with the flaming plumes.

The flame passed leaving Aiden still unharmed, and he turned to consider Natsu as the young man prepared for another assault. "You should really just give up," he said kindly. "A one-trick pony whose trick is shut down is like a grounded bird…you can't do anything more here."

"Tch," Natsu spat. "Like I'm going to give up that easily. So my fire really won't hurt you, right?" Again flame sprouted from his limbs, more concentrated. "Then I'll just have to use it to fight you in another way!"

He came rocketing in at high speed, the flame from his legs serving as boosters, launching him like a missile. Aiden narrowly avoided his punch as he struck. Natsu continued his assault, with Aiden blocking and dodging as usual; finally Aiden caught a high punch with an upraised arm, but Natsu suddenly started sprouting fire from his elbow. "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!" Enforced by the flame, his punch suddenly pushed with extra force, broke through Aiden's guard and hit him right in the jaw, sending the man flying.

Aiden recovered quickly, but Natsu was already on him, raining down more fire-powered kicks and punches. Aiden stopped all the attacks this time, then made a lock on Natsu, pulled him down and off-balance, kicked him in the shin, then kicked his side to send him flying. Natsu bounced back to his feet in no time, but Aiden was already firing on him. Seven shots impacted Natsu, dropping him to the ground.

Aiden popped his clip and slapped a new one in…while Natsu jumped right back to his feet. "Ow! That hurt! I'm really getting tired of those guns!"

Aiden sighed. "Really, so this is a Dragonslayer…magical blasts won't work, normal bullets don't really work…this is gonna be a chore…."

8-8-8

 _["So, you're a member of Fairy Tail now, huh?" Lina asked Nodoka in bemusement._

 _"Y-Yes…."_

 _Lina chuckled. "I really couldn't have imagined it. Of course, you never struck me as much of an adventurer to begin with…but your little 'club' is something. You've always been tougher than you looked. Still, to become a member of Fairy Tail, now…the most famous, destructive mage guild of Fiore…."_

 _"I'm surprised_ you _aren't a member," Zelgadis commented while sipping his tea at the neighboring table. "You'd fit right in."_

 _"It sounds like the kind of guild that she could lead," agreed Gourry._

 _"You two shut up!"_

 _Erza chuckled. "It's certainly true that Natsu and Grey can be very destructive."_

 _"And you really can be too," Lucy muttered, almost darkly._

 _Erza looked her way. "Did you say something, Lucy?"_

 _"No, nothing! In any case, you're a pretty famous sorceress yourself, Lina…including those destructive influences…."_

 _"And despite them, it's obvious you care for those friends of yours as well," Erza added. "If you wanted to, you'd be more than welcome to join Fairy Tail."_

 _Lina waved the invitation away. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm too much of a free spirit…traveling around is what I do best. Besides, I think you have enough wild personalities there." She turned to Natsu, who was, as usual, ravenously consuming food without paying much attention. "So, you're the Fairy going into the tournament, huh? You're a fire wizard? Well, pretty classic offensive magic, at least…."_

 _"Um aht a ile wzrd," Natsu began, then swallowed his mouthful. "I'm a Fire Dragonslayer."_

 _Lina stared at him. "Ah? Okay, big title, but…."_

 _"It's not a title," Erza insisted. "He's describing his talents perfectly. He uses Dragonslayer magic."_

 _"Dragonslayer…but that's Lost Magic! Or is he one of those who was part of those recent experiments to recreate it…?"_

 _"Nope, he's a first generation Dragonslayer," Lucy explained._

 _"I was taught by my father, Igneel."_

 _"Your father…?" Lina began._

 _"Natsu was raised by a Fire Dragon called Igneel," Erza finished. "He taught him to read, write, speak…and use Dragonslayer magic."_

 _"But that's…wait, wait, wait! This is getting more impossible by the minute! The Dragons, the true Dragon race, sapient spellcasters, all disappeared centuries ago! There are still dragon species around, creatures that the people of today think of as dragons, but they don't hold a candle to that real Dragon race…and they don't exist anymore! No one has seen them since the War of the Dragons' Fall…."_

 _"I don't care what history says," Natsu snorted. "I was brought up by Igneel. He was the only family I had until I came to Fairy Tail. He disappeared seven years ago…but I'll find him. He's still out there somewhere, I know it. I won't stop searching until I do."_

 _He flexed an arm. "And so maybe this tournament will be good for me in that way. Not only will I get to fight a bunch of really strong people…if my face and name get out there, maybe then Igneel will find me…."]_

8-8-8

"He's definitely the most reckless and wild fighter or mage I've ever seen," Lina muttered, watching the scene. "But, he is a true Dragonslayer…his skin, muscles, lungs, senses, magical capacity, everything are far past what normal humans can manage. His natural magical power is augmented further by his emotions…and he is, like the Dragon who raised him, nearly an elemental in his own right. Aiden's already used fire magic-based shots in previous matches, but he's smart enough not to use them here—they'd only make Natsu stronger." She recalled her own short test of his abilities after their initial meeting, when he consumed her best Fireball spell completely unharmed (calling it 'the best fire he'd ever tasted'). "Even so, he's not going to be easy to bring down—he's basically a Dragon in human form. Well, personally I have no vetted interest in this battle one way or another—either one will just be the guy Kain has to take down in the next round. But I'd like to at least see what kind of lumps this Dragonslayer can give to the famed 'Mage-Killer' Aiden Rylack…."

8-8-8

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

Natsu dumped the massive fireball on top of Aiden. Aiden leapt out of the flame, tiny wisps of smoke trailing off of him, but most prominently the talisman he had carried went flittering away, slowly burning up—but not from what would be thought to be the obvious source.

"Ha! I thought so! Natsu exulted. "That little scrap of paper couldn't protect you completely. Sooner of later it had to run out! Now try this!" He unleashed another blast of flame from his mouth.

Aiden disappeared in the midst of the flame…and then reappeared behind Natsu. The Dragonslayer ducked underneath Aiden's punch and rolled over to stand on his hands, then giving another 'talon' of flame from his foot. Aiden stepped back to dodge the lash, then retreated still further as Natsu came back up facing him and charged in to strike yet again. Aiden slipped past Natsu on his next charge…and Natsu twisted and staggered, wrapped up by a cord. The cord was adorned like a string of Christmas tree ornaments with small globes…globes with blinking lights. After a few loud beeps and blinks, they all exploded.

Aiden turned slowly back to the explosion…and then had to dodge back as Natsu again came screaming out of the smoke, charred but still very much alive and active. Aiden fell back before the youth, retreating swiftly, and as Natsu came charging in, the arena floor suddenly cracked and caved slightly as he approached, and he stumbled. In that instant Aiden charged forward and kicked Natsu in his face, sending him rolling and sprawling again….

8-8-8

"There it is," Momo murmured. "He's finally had enough of the fight, and he's going to do everything he can to end it."

"That was…?" Kagome murmured. "It looked like…the ground just broke…."

"It did…a 'lucky break' for Aiden."

As Natsu came flying back in, Aiden threw some object straight up into the air. He then stood his ground as Natsu attacked, dodging and parrying and striking back in tokens. Then the object came crashing down right on top of Natsu's head, stunning him, and it then fell down to the ground behind him. It was a silver orb, perfectly smooth and round, and as it rolled to a stop it suddenly shot electricity at Natsu, paralyzing him with its current. Aiden fell back once again and drew a new, larger pistol…his Caster.

"Sorry about this, kid," Aiden said as he leveled the pistol at the recovering Natsu. "But this has gone on long enough."

He pulled the trigger and a new explosive flash consumed Natsu. Most of the audience was forced to blanch and look away from the intensity of the shot, including Koto.

"N-now Aiden has unleashed this devastating attack! That was a Caster, an old weapon from the earliest days of MagiTech! The shells are now extremely hard to find—it takes a talented and specialized mage to create them, but we can see the result here…o-or not, as the case may be….

"I-I think my sight's getting better, although I wonder if we'll even see anything left of Natsu…there we are…wait a minute…."

Natsu reappeared…with the energy swirling around him, funneling in a whirling stream into his mouth. Aiden stared. "Really…now you're eating the energy of my Caster shell? You've got to be kidding me…I thought it was just fire…."

Natsu was panting heavily as he finished his meal. An odd nimbus of crackling energy was surrounding him, giving him an odd glow. He hunkered down, preparing to charge again, white flame gathering around his hands and feet.

"I get it now," Aiden remarked. "You can really consume any kind of heat-based energy, even blasts of pure magical energy, probably lightning, too…but your body isn't really built to handle it. You can get a short-term supercharge from it, but sooner or later it'll backfire and wear off, and you'll be left drained…."

Natsu charged in, faster, stronger than ever, and even Aiden seemed hard-pressed to match him. Finally he dodged past Natsu to the opposite end of the arena, and he seemed to be slow to react in turning back to his foe as Natsu rounded on him.

Then Natsu suddenly stopped just shy of Aiden, gasping out as, in smoky wisps, the energy just drained out of him. With an empty, unconscious expression, he fell prone to the ground and lay there, unmoving. " _Lucky for me_ , it seems it ran out pretty quickly," Aiden stated to the unconscious man.

"U-unbelievable! Is this the finish? After these two opponents traded such gargantuan blows without seemingly even slowing down, did Natsu just run out of juice like a bad battery?" Koto hurried up onto the arena floor and approached the comatose Dragonslayer. "It seems like he can't continue anymore! I'm starting the count! One! Two!"

Aiden slipped his gun into his coat. "Go ahead and count," he assured the fox-girl. "He's not getting up for a while now." Then he turned and slowly made his way for the tunnel.

The audience was mostly quiet as they watched the scene, stunned by all they had witnessed, especially by this remarkable finish. Kain slowly stood and began to clap, steadily and rhythmically, and the rest of the viewers began to follow suit, honoring this man who had fought without fear or restraint against someone who could be described, for brevity's sake, as a 'legend'.

"He's an idiot," Lina muttered as she joined Kain in applauding. "But that kind of idiocy is perfect for a stupid contest like this."

"I never really thought that Natsu could make it this far against so many celebrities," Lucy said. "But you did great, Natsu. You have nothing to be ashamed of here."

"That is more than enough, Natsu," Erza assented. "You did the name of Fairy Tail—and Igneel—very proud with that performance. You are a champion fighter before the entire world…."

"That wasn't bad," Grey allowed. "You stood up for yourself pretty well, you hot-headed lizard."

"W-well done, Natsu- _san_ ," Nodoka murmured. "T-that was…still, very amazing…."

"Fifteen! And that's it! Aiden Rylack has triumphed over Natsu Dragneel and advances to the Finals! With this our last match is set! I really don't know what to say to add to what we just witnessed…it was truly spoken to our hearts through the match itself! In two days, our remaining champions will battle in the Final Match! We hope to see you there!"

"And that just leaves us," murmured Kain. "Not that I expected anything else, but…in two days, I'll have to face Aiden Rylack…and see just how far I've come…."

8-8-8

Kain sat at the edge of the terrace, gazing out at the dark clouds drifting around through the night air. As usual, his chaotically roaming thoughts were going full throttle. However, the bent of his thoughts this night were drifting from his concern over his duel with Aiden….

"Should you really be here, Kain? Considering what today is…don't you realize that everyone is looking for you?"

"Good evening, Mai." Kain continued staring out, not even turning to regard her. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you even realize what today is? It's November 20th…it's your birthday, you know. Most of the girls were wanting to throw a party for you…in payment for everything you've done for them. We, ah, can't at Dolnegus' place, because of your identity, but they were going to ask Urahara- _san_ for help…."

"Oh. Is that what it is? …With everything else on my mind, I haven't even thought about it. Heh. Although thinking that way makes it even worse…."

Mai glanced askew at him. "…Kain? Are you all right?"

"I don't know. Head's too full of things at the moment. I…don't think I can go face them yet. But since you're here…would you like to sit down here and talk with me?"

Mai hesitated. "You…need to say something? Or…just talk? Are you sure I'm the one you should be talking to…?"

"Why not you, Mai? You're as close to me as anyone. Please."

Finally, almost reluctantly, Mai sat down next to Kain. "So," she finally managed. "What's on your mind, then? Are you…worried about your upcoming fight…?"

Kain smiled slightly, although Mai couldn't see it. "Yes…but that's not the only thing I'm worried about…or right now, the most important. That's the problem I'm putting off for tomorrow. For now, I have other things that I'm worried about.

"Do you know…about the…trouble…with Izumi- _san_?"

"Well…yes. I've heard all about it…but I really didn't want to get anywhere near it…."

"I envy you that choice." Kain chuckled. "I've put off dealing with it for as long as I can…along with all the rest. But the pressure just keeps building up, and sometimes I think it might be unbearable."

"I-is it that bad? I m-mean, Izumi- _san_ isn't…."

"No, it's not really about her…the problem is…all the romance…all the…drama of all of this…."

Kain took a deep breath and sighed. "The thing is, Mai…I'm not sure just what, exactly, the Principal and the rest of them were thinking when they assigned me to teach your class. Just the one class…I can only think it had something to do with you, Momo, Kagome, and Alyssa in particular—all of you who had connections to my father. But I'm not sure whether they thought anything about this situation…that a young man, a mere teenager, however brilliant, was put in charge of a bunch of lovely girls his own age…. I…I just don't even want to think about his motivations, or lack thereof. But the point is…that it has made a difficult situation for all of us.

"I'm a brilliant, brilliant young man, Mai—all modesty aside, even if I can't compare to my father, the kinds of things I've accomplished so young are incredible. I am more intelligent than most adults, and I'm still a child. But that's the point—I'm still a child inside myself. You must feel some of the same…even if you have some memories of the 'Crystal Princess', even if you intellectually understand that you are far older than you appear, in your heart, your soul, you're just a teenager yourself. And I feel all the same kinds of things that the rest of them do…but I'm 'not supposed to'. I'm supposed to be the adult. That's what…well, it's not exactly a rule anyone sat down and explained to me, but it's the implication, and it's how I perceive this situation. I can't treat you girls like I'm just another boy…I have to be responsible, I have to be your teacher. But…it's not like I want to be. However I act…I'm not an adult, and that's all it is…an act.

"Had the class just played along with me…had everyone just treated me as a teacher…there wouldn't have been any problem. But…I can't blame anyone, but it's just…because of circumstances, Nodoka and Kazumi and others…weren't able to leave it alone. The attention they've paid to me…the things they try to do to attract my attention…I may act blasé, or clueless, or whatever you want to say, but it has all affected me. The truth is that I am no different from them…I might even be more so…I'm a dreamer at heart and a romantic. I could only wish to be loved and accepted…and I am flattered and enthralled by the feelings they've expressed. And yet…I can't do anything. Because everything I do…my big problem, my real fault…everything I do is ruled by fear. I suppose…I could just follow my heart, whatever happens…but I'm afraid."

Kain pulled a pen from his cloak and began to twirl it in his fingers. "You asked, Mai, after we met up again….what I had done to myself. You believed that I had done something to myself…that this power I had gained had to have some dark price, that it was dangerous to me in some way. Honestly, right now, it's no longer a threat…now that I've passed the test, I've become infused with magic and am nearly immortal—there's no longer any threat to my body from my power. But getting this power—that path was the real danger. Aiden directly forced a concentrated mass of mana into my body, and my body started rejecting it, leaving the two forces to tear my body apart. The purpose was to meld this mana into my body—if I could mentally accept it and adapt it and make it a part of me, my body would stop fighting it, and it would evolve me. However, if I couldn't, I would die. Aiden told me that before it started and asked me to choose my path. I chose to take the risk, despite my fear of dying.

"But the magic took me mentally 'within myself', I guess you could say, and it manifested a part of my psyche in the form of my father to help me come to terms with it. And he pointed out what I couldn't even admit to myself—that while I might be afraid of dying, I was even more afraid of living. I was afraid of never measuring up to my father—even now, while I desperately search for him, I'm almost afraid of actually finding him…what if he doesn't live up to the unfair pedestal I've put him on? What if he doesn't approve of me or my actions? I really don't know him at all, and that ignorance gives me so many causes to be afraid. I'm afraid of the Obsidian Star, of fighting them…of losing to them. And I can't handle my romantic troubles, because I'm afraid…I'm afraid of hurting any one of you girls by my actions, and I'm most afraid of hurting myself. And so the idea of dying, in my deepest, darkest reaches of my heart, wasn't so bad.

"But that's why I'm so twisted up right now. I've been getting along by completely ignoring the romantic problems, by pretending they don't exist, by using that rule of 'I'm a teacher, it's wrong for me to have these kinds of relationships' as a desperate shield to protect me from the pain and fear of having to make some sort of decision one way or the other—because right now, this relationship is all I can stand. I'm too afraid to be hated by my action, and I'm nearly as afraid even to be loved. It's…just so all-encompassing. So I was just putting it aside and playing the act of the perfect teacher to protect myself. And you know, after the disaster here and how we all got separated, I was able to ignore it easily, because of course I have the wonderful excuse that there's so many more important things to take care of.

"But that doesn't work with Izumi- _san_. Her situation is totally different…because she's in love with someone who doesn't have that excuse, someone who is entirely a lie, who can't return her love no matter what, but she hasn't been in any condition to face that truth. But now…." He shook his head. "Well, that doesn't matter now. We'll have to deal with that too, but…the problem is, the way that problem has come full circle has reminded me too much about all these other romance issues. I can put it off a little longer…but while I can use my teacher responsibilities to justify my delays, for these teenage girls, their feelings and their potential romance are desperate, vital issues, and they can't stand to leave me alone too much. Sooner, rather than later, that's a problem I'll have to deal with…and although I can put it off a little longer, it's starting to look like this romantic logjam is more terrible than my upcoming fight with Aiden." He laughed mirthlessly. "I'm scared to death, thinking of fighting Aiden. What I've seen of him…the only thing I could think of that could be worse than facing him would be facing my father. But even so…all I can do is work hard and come up with strategies to take him on, and then do my best the day after. That's about all I've done since I came to Mahora, after all. It's just one fight, and even if I don't win, we'll be able to come up with something to free Izumi- _san_ and the rest. But…that other issue…there's just no solution to it that I can think of right now, nothing I have experience with. I…wish…that I could really stop caring, one way or another….

"I'm sorry, Mai…you…probably didn't need to hear all of this. It was probably unfair of me to dump it all on your chest. But…thanks for listening…."

Mai stared over at him as he finally trailed off. Her expression was unreadable. Then she suddenly reached out, took him by the head and shoulder, and pulled him over to lean his head on her chest.

"M-Mai…?" Kain began meekly, stunned by the action.

"There, there," Mai said softly, patting the side of his head. "It'll be okay." She smiled slightly. "I…do understand, I think. It must be pretty terrible, to be so smart you think about all those stupid little things and they mean so much to you. It…might be unfair of us, too, after all, even if we can't really help it. I mean, it is natural that so many of my classmates have fallen for you…but at the same time, it's natural they think nothing about what they're putting you through. You seem so mature, so smart, it's hard to remember that you're just a little boy our age. You seem like a real adult, and teenage girls are entranced by suave, older (but still youthful) intelligent authority figures. The little bit that makes us realize you _are_ really our age just makes you that much more attractive…but we never stop to think that you might just be a scared little boy under that authoritative demeanor, just as frail and afraid as we are. But you should try to relax more, and stop worrying…yes, so many of us have put our hopes in you, but it's okay. No matter what choice you make, as long as you make it with your whole heart, we'll accept it. Izumi- _san_ , too…she'll come around. She's stronger and spunkier than the others give her credit for. We'll…get over it. Since I have so much…real tragedy…in my other past, maybe I'm jaundiced, but I think all of them will recover from a little broken heart. So just decide what it is you really want…whether it's one of them, or none of them…whenever you're ready, and we'll all accept it."

She released Kain and smiled bravely into his face. "So, can you put that aside for now, Kain? Even if you can save them some other way, Izumi- _san_ and the others are counting on you…so you have to focus on your match and win it. No, and not only for their sakes…but for Gato, for Kuchiki- _san_ , for your father, and for yourself, you need to win, so you need to focus on that."

Kain finally smiled back. "Y-yeah. You're right. Thanks, Mai…that…really does help. Thank you." He stood. "I've already started…I just have to continue passing through the fire and the flames…."

"Right. Now, why don't you head on over to Urahara's? Those girls are putting in a lot of effort for you, and I promised I'd bring you over. I'll be right behind you…."

Bidding her farewell, Kain disappeared into the night.

Mai stared after him. She finally sighed. "That little idiot…but, I guess I can't blame him too much…."

"You shouldn't. You really held back, you know…in a lot of ways…."

Mai shrieked slightly as Kamo manifested and dropped onto her shoulder. "K-Kamo…!"

"Tell me, _Ojô-chan_ …Kain gave you prime opportunity to bare your own feelings. Don't you think he was waiting for you to tell him to stop worrying about it all…and choose you…? Why don't you take yourself a little more seriously in all of this?"

"W-what are you talking about!? Kain is my teacher, my partner, my friend…but that's all. Our relationship…has never been more than that…."

"Yes, he just explained why in great detail," the ermine snickered. "That's on his side. What about on yours? Do you think that you aren't allowed to have happiness or a life of your own, or any feelings of your own?"

Mai hesitated. "No…that's not it…but what does it have to do with anything, anyway? As Kain just said…all that is the least of our concerns right now. Just as Kain has his issues, I have mine as well…right now, I'm still trying to deal with this whole 'Crystal Princess' business. I don't have time to deal with any of that right now, either…."

"Fine, fine. As you say. But you should look into being more honest with yourself, and what you want. Your speech there was nice, but very conflicted…I wonder how much of it Kain will pick up on…."

"Will you _please_ stop teasing us about that!?"

"All right, all right…I'll leave you guys alone for now. Just remember, Mai—Kalan and the rest sacrificed a lot to make sure that you could have a life of your own with your own happiness, too. You've already taken steps to dive right back into the world they saved you from…don't throw away the chance you were given to be a normal girl, too. If you care about Kain at all, just don't go treating him as if you two are worlds apart. Now c'mon…we can't forgo the party ourselves. Tomorrow's going to be as important as the match the next day, if we're going to get Kain ready, so we might as well enjoy ourselves while we can…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Hot and Burning_

 _The fight and the passionate, hidden sentiments. My double entendres and all that…._

 _As has been the case so far, I've actually been surprised by how short the tournament battles have been…but although I've been praised for my fight scenes, there's only so much of all this brawling and power-wielding that I can stand to draw out. Simply put, there's a limit to how much I can focus on each fight, and too much is…too much. I don't know. What I'm trying to say is, would this actually be helped at all by me writing three more pages about Aiden beating Natsu back and forth and then shooting him with four or five more bullets, and then Natsu jumping right back into the fight again? I would have liked to show off a few more Entropy effects, but on a flat arena, there's a bit of a limit to even how much of that I can realistically use, so using it to very quietly determine the finish was good enough._

 _Of course, some may wonder if I really need to waste three pages on Kain's self-pitying, pathetic rant. I really felt I did. Kain is not the usual anime protagonist—a super-nice guy who attracts a harem accidentally and is somehow clueless as these girls fight and claw over him and practically throw themselves onto him. No, Kain is a shy young man whose natural male passions and thoughtful, escapist personality leads to him becoming a diehard romantic. This is his character, his essence—that underneath all that incredible talent he has, he really is a young teenager with all (or more!) of the insecurities all youths suffer from. He's been made worse in some ways, having grown up amongst terrifying adults rather than his actual peers. While most older, well-adjusted men would love to be in his position, fully capable of picking any lovely flower from this garden, Kain is terrified by the emotional burden of all these feelings. He has to do 'emotional dumps' at times, and Mai happened by in time to be an unfortunate victim…although how honestly fortunate is it that she is one he's comfortable enough with to reveal all this to…?_

 _We're still a long way from resolving any of this, unfortunately for Kain. Now he has to focus on his next challenge: overcoming the Invincible Aiden…._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Nine: Gonna Fly Now

"Kain- _sensei_?"

"Kain- _sensei_!"

"…Kain- _sensei_ …?"

"WHERE IS HE!?"

"What's the fuss about?" Chisame demanded grumpily, emerging from her room.

A dozen pairs of eyes turned the girl's direction. "Kain- _sensei_!" insisted Kaoru. "We came by to, uh, check on him. He…didn't look like himself at the party last night…."

"He also never left Urahara's," Chisame informed them. "He was going to consult with him. He wants to spend today preparing for his fight tomorrow."

As the girls digested this information, Kiami put in, "Ah, Chisame- _chan_ …you seem awfully aware of Kain- _sensei_ 's activities and nightly lodgings…."

"D-don't go imagining or suggesting weird things!" Chisame spat, red-faced. "He told Tokiha and me both about it before we left last night."

"Ah…so there were _two_ girls he had to inform about his absence last night…my, my…."

"Really, you…!"

Even the excitable 3-A girls turned quickly from this comedy routine, however—they had almost become inured to Kiami's suggestive teasings. "Then is he still back at Urahara- _san_ 's?" Riku asked.

"I would assume so," Hinagiku hazarded. "Yes…even now, he won't take a break…I may have to have another talk with him…."

"You might want to spare him that," Erika advised her. "Right now…I think he has other, more important concerns…."

"Should we…go see him?" Akari asked. "I mean, I'm sure he…wouldn't mind a few sparring partners if he's looking to train, but…I'm almost afraid to…."

"What's the matter?" Kagome teased. "Can't face your student since it appears he's surpassed the master?"

"Ah, well…I was never a master to begin with…but Kain- _sensei_ …yeah, I think he's way too far past me now…."

"Well, I'm going to go see Kain- _sensei_ ," Kazumi said determinedly, drawing looks of surprise. "I…well, if nothing else…I want to show him support…."

"Let us go," Rei agreed. "Perhaps now we can be no help to him. But we can, as Kazumi- _san_ says, at least show our support." She turned to Chisame. "Will you be joining us, Chisame- _chan_?"

Chisame glared at her, then softened her expression and sighed. "All right, all right. I can tell that nothing I say is going to make any difference to you. We might as well go and make a damn class activity out of it, like we do everything else…."

8-8-8

The class stared at Kain as he stood out in the center of the strange, desolate landscape, flexing his power. While those glimmering white wings began to form behind him, he cast a multitude of spells, weaving magic after magic together and sending it hurtling into the air. Most of the watchers could conceive of it as nothing more than very impressive fireworks….

Kisuke observed the young man as he took a break from his spells. "Well, well, very impressive," he murmured. "But do you really think that that's going to work against Aiden…?"

Kain gathered another surge of energy into his hand and stared at it. "Well…not really. These are just warm-up exercises. There's a lot of work still to be done…."

"Is that so?" Erza asked, approaching with one sword in her hand. "Well, then…would you like to warm-up your swordsmanship with me this morning? I may be a meager swordswoman myself, but perhaps, if you are serious on training to surpass Aiden Rylack in a single day, my sword can help with your inspiration."

Kain stared at the woman in surprise, but a smile replaced this look quickly. "Thank you, Erza…I'll take you up on the offer. Right now…I need every edge I can get…."

He drew his sword, and Erza bowed to him. "Well, then…here I come." And she charged in.

Kain was quite surprised by Erza's speed and ferocity. She did not call on any of her exotic armors, but, using one of her 'normal' magic swords and little else, she fought with a deadly fervor that took Kain aback. He found himself quickly pressed, and was forced to respond with far more energy and effort that he usually liked for a simple 'spar'.

He quickly realized a terrible truth…Erza was the kind of person who absolutely did not know how to hold back. Hers was the kind of genius and brilliance that made her often ignorant to the situations of other people, and she had an honesty that transferred intensity to everything she did…even something as simple as a supposed training match.

Finally Kain was able to focus on the match more, and finally pressed and overwhelmed Erza, flattening her with one powerful attack.

Erza jumped back to her feet quickly, but seemed to take Kain's fierce reprisal as sign that the spar was over. "Truly exceptional! You really are amazing, Kain Lockeheart. I must admit it, you're quite a frightening young man…."

"I still don't think he's as frightening as you, though," Lucy remarked quietly.

"I don't know about frightening…even now, Kain just doesn't have _real_ scary in him, no matter how powerful he gets."

Kain looked to the newly-arrived speaker and her dark-haired companion and smiled at the pair of them. "Mai…Momo. Good morning. Where have you two been…?"

"Sometimes girls need girl talk, Kain- _sensei_ ," Momo admonished him. "Don't pry too much, unless you want to find out things you'd really rather not know…."

"Fair enough…."

"So how's your training going, Kain?" Mai pressed. "Can we help at all?"

"Ah, good question…both of them. I'm just getting warmed up now. I'm really not sure how much farther I can go right now…I'm already about as powerful as I can imagine getting in strength, speed, sheer mana and power. I doubt I'm even Aiden's inferior when it comes to that. But against Aiden, a veteran fighter who will be prepared for virtually every contingency…I can't rely on any normal means. I'm going to have to come up with some sort of trump card to top him…."

"Really, now!? That's just nonsense! For someone like you, there's only one way to go forward: you've got to have GUTS!"

"Really, Haruka- _chan_ …."

Kain stared at the invaders who finished coming down Urahara's staircase. A mousy-looking glasses-wearing brown-haired woman in a regal suit-dress, and the larger, quite busty woman with the long dark blond hair in the more military green dress. Laughing behind them was a man he rather more clearly recognized, even though time had added twenty years to him since the 'movie' Kain had seen. Ricardo was the one who spoke: "Ah, excuse them, please, Kain- _kun_! Jean-Luc Ricardo, reluctant senator of Halteese, at your service! This young lady is my compatriot, Senator Yukino Chrysant, and this is her HiME, Haruka Armitage. We're, ah, not here in an official capacity, you understand…."

"That doesn't matter now," Haruka chided. "Well, the son of Kalan Lockeheart! You're a pretty amazing kid, but you can't stop where you are. You've got to go out and give that arrogant Aiden Rylack a thumping and take him down a peg or two! We'll help with your training, too, so don't worry about a thing!"

"Help with my training…?" Kain asked helplessly.

"Well, that's the offer, at least," Ricardo sighed. "Don't let Haruka- _chan_ disturb you; she's good-hearted and skilled, if a little over-enthusiastic. But she also is telling the truth…we'd rather like to see you win that tournament, so some of us thought we might check out how you're doing and offer our aid. Don't dismiss us off-hand." He smiled and jerked a thumb at himself. "Haruka- _chan_ 's a Crown HiME, of course, and while I'm a senator now, I was a powerful fighter during the war, a brawler capable of going toe-to-toe with the Red Wings."

"They're not alone, either," Jade added, appearing from behind the man with the elder Overcast by his side. "His Majesty Peony couldn't make this meeting himself, but he gave Field Marshal Overcast and myself the burden of helping you in any way we could, as troublesome as it is."

"Goodness…so many forces joining together just to plot the overthrow of Aiden Rylack? Incredible…you'd think the man was unpopular or something…."

The others turned and parted to allow the new arrival to enter, flanked by her two swordsmen. Kain stared at her, recognition again bringing him to stunned awe. "You're…."

"Well, in this case, we should be official about it," Kamo chirped, appearing on Kain's shoulder. "May I present to you…her royal Majesty Queen Artoria Pendragon, Queen and ruler of the Chivalrous Kingdom of Avalon, also known as Saber of the Red Wings. With her are her first and second Knights of the Round, Cidolfus Orlandeau, and Leonhardt Raglan."

Artoria smiled at Kain. "Well…Kain Lockeheart, son of my friend Kalan…I'm glad I've finally gotten the opportunity to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, of course, particularly from your two students, Kaoru and Riku…." She finally turned to Erza, who was staring at her, wide-eyed and in disbelief. Nodoka had never seen Erza so shocked…and Lucy hadn't seen that look on her face since they had left the Tower of Heaven. "You are…."

"Y-your Majesty!" Erza declared, dropping to one knee in respect. "Y-you probably don't even remember someone as insignificant as me, but…!"

Artoria's surprised face turned into a warm smile, and she shook her head. "No, that's not true…I remember you quite well…Erza Scarlet…."

8-8-8

 _[There was an explosion, and the child cried out as she was sent sprawling. Nevertheless she quickly struggled to rise to her feet, but the black-cloaked mages began to close in on her. "Don't think you can escape from us, you little brat…do you know how much we suffered because of you stupid little slaves!? All those years of work, all the planning, everything…taken from us! And yet we're the lucky ones, since we escaped with our lives! You, however, aren't so lucky, having run into us here…."_

 _The little girl stared up at them in defiance as she rose to her feet. The lead mage sneered her way. "Little twerp…take your punishment!"_

 _As he brought his heavy club down on her, he was interrupted…a figure interposed and sent him flying. The little girl stared in shock at the figure in the blue dress and royal, fur-lined red cape. She had blocked the attack with her bare hand, and now, as the dozen black-robed figures observed her, she stood, confident and unmoving._

 _"Isn't this a bit hasty, your Majesty?" The girl turned and stared at the approaching figure, a_ yôkai _with cloven hooves for feet, a large reptilian tail and a 'beard' of tentacles. "We are on foreign soil, after all…interfering in this kind of situation could be misconstrued…."_

 _"Don't be ridiculous, Matta," replied the regal blond woman. "You can't expect me to see this kind of situation and_ not _get involved."_

 _"I believe our friend is merely doing his adjutant duty," answered another man, human, somewhat near middle-aged, walking up to join them. "Even if we're merely strangers, traveling here to the southern continent, and Fiore, for the Memorial Conference…we can't turn a blind eye to this kind of situation."_

 _The dark mages had seemed to be hesitating, sizing up these interlopers, but now they were getting ready to make their attack. "Well, then," 'her Majesty' said. "Orlandeau, Matta, you stay back…it's been a while since I had to exercise my own skills, and this is a prime opportunity to take the rust off. Protect this girl while I go to work."_

 _She stepped forward, and…changed. With a word of command, her clothing changed form, turning into a metal-plated battle dress, and a shining silver sword appeared in her hand._

 _"A Requip mage?" growled one. "One swordswoman isn't nearly enough. Let's get her!"_

 _With that they charged in, and the battle maiden moved to meet them. The little girl stared in shock…she had never seen anything like it. The woman moved with grace and speed that she had never before witnessed, despite her heavy armor. Her sword danced through the air, cutting the mages down with ease. One by one they fell, all without landing a single blow on her._

 _"Oh, 'take the rust off'?" chuckled Orlandeau. "That could never happen…not to Artoria Pendragon, Queen of Avalon, and the finest of Arthur's line since perhaps the man himself. Even Requipping herself with a merely average sword and armor, she is more than a match for a hundred mages of this caliber…."_

 _Artoria finished her work, shedding very little actual blood, instead using her talents to merely incapacitate most of her foes without effort. "That's done," she said. "Even if I interfere, I shouldn't cause too much of a fuss in another's land. We'll call the local authorities to sort this out…or let them call on their vaunted guilds to do it." She turned back to the three watchers, and, letting her armor and sword fade away, approached. She walked up to the little girl and kneeled before her. "Well, little one…who are you, and what are you doing here? Where's your family?"_

 _She took in the girl as she looked away, a dark look of disgust or perhaps shame on her face. She was an older child, a few years yet removed from the maturity of the teenager, with short, dark red hair. A few bandages adorned her, including her right eye, which was completely covered, and her haggard dress consisted of little more than a rough and worn shift. "I don't have a family," she declared. "I…I don't have anyone…I'm just looking for something…."_

 _"I see…what is your name? I am Artoria, although if you like, and it's easier, you could even call me Saber."_

 _"Saber?"_

 _"It's a name I've used before, an alias when I was a servant, merely a sword in the service of someone very dear to me. You?"_

 _"…I'm Erza. Erza Scarlet." With the declaration of her last name, little Erza turned her face back to Artoria, and it took on a look of defiance and, really, strength. Apparently that name meant a great deal to Erza, and Artoria was impressed by the strength she saw in that face._

 _"Is that so? That's a nice name. Scarlet…it must be for your hair. It's a fine color…a little darker, but still quite like someone I know…an old friend. Well, young Erza Scarlet, where have you come from? What happened to you, and why were these people interested in you?"_

 _Erza turned to look away again. "…I can't say."_

 _Artoria considered her carefully. "…You don't know why they were after you?"_

 _She remembered that blue-haired boy, the one she loved and hated, and his chilling threats. "I can't say!"_

 _"I see. That's fine then. Can you tell me, at least, where you're going, and what you are bound to do?"_

 _"I-I'm going to Fiore to find the Mage Guild, Fairy Tail."_

 _"Fairy Tail? Really?"_

 _"Yes…as I said, I have no home or family, but…someone very precious to me told me that if I ever found Fairy Tail, I would have a home and family with them…."_

 _"Is that so…Fairy Tail, huh? Well, they're wild and undisciplined, but they do seem to be good people. You should do fine with them."_

 _"Eh?" Erza looked up in surprise. "You…know Fairy Tail?"_

 _"I've never had the fortune to really meet any of them personally, but I know their reputation…good and bad. And I know that they are an exceptional group that has done some great things…they even helped us out some back during the war those many years ago. Well, then…I'm a foreign monarch and I should already be heading back to my country, but I have a few friends here, and I can at least make arrangements so that you can travel safely to the city of Magnolia…there you can meet your 'Fairy Tail'…."]_

8-8-8

 _('I've never forgotten,')_ Erza thought to herself. _('That shining, silver-and-blue knight…that guardian angel that saved my life…everything I've become is because of her….')_

Artoria laid a hand on Erza's head. "You've grown into quite a fine woman, Erza Scarlet. I see you've done quite well for yourself, too, and you've not only found your precious Fairy Tail, you've risen to become one of its most prominent members. It's a pleasure to see you here like this. Please, stand, and stop being so formal…this is far too informal a gathering for standing on ceremony."

She turned back to Kain. "Excuse me for reminiscing with the young lady a bit, Kain. It's good to finally meet you…I've wanted to see you for so long, but, things being the way they are, I was always denied the opportunity. I couldn't do anything for either of your parents…I greatly regret that. So I swear that I will do all in my power that I will not fail the child of my two masters, no matter what…I, and Avalon, will give you all the help I can, Kain."

Kain tensed slightly. "My…parents…then…can you tell me…my mother is really…?"

Artoria shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't say any more than that. I've said far too much already. We'd already decided amongst ourselves that we wouldn't tell you the whole story until you'd reached the age of manhood."

Kain cast his eyes down. "Yes…Aiden was saying the same thing." He raised his head again, a new light in his eyes. "If I manage to defeat Aiden…do you think that I will have earned that right…that I will be acknowledged as being one of 'full manhood'?"

Artoria stared in surprise for a second, then smiled. "…I see. Perhaps so. If that gives you another reason to win…well, then let's get to work on it, shall we? We have come here to help with that."

Leonhardt coughed. "Yes, speaking of which…the reason we've all come here. It seems that all of us were of like minds…we'd all like to see the valiant young 'Kalan Lockeheart' win his match tomorrow and defeat the famed Aiden Rylack. We've come here separately, but with that same purpose…to help you prepare to defeat him tomorrow."

Kamo laughed. "What a great group! You should feel really fortunate, Kain…with everything you've gotten, everything you've learned, you've been taught…in all of that, you've never really had the instruction of a true master at anything. Oh, you trained a lot under Alyssa, but she's a demon, and she just beat you down in order to make you stronger. You trained martial arts with Akari, but she'd be the first to admit she's no master. Jynx taught you a bit of magic, but only to pass on his own Gravity Magic, really. But here, you've got some real expert masters of combat—Ricardo and Haruka can teach you quite a bit of the rough-and-tumble of basic brawling, Lady Bird and her knights can give you some pointers in swordsmanship that you severely lack, and Four-Eyes over there and the other general are both master mages. You can pick up all the little things you need to smooth your edges…."

"That's right!" Ricardo agreed enthusiastically. "It'd be great to see that all-powerful idiot Aiden lose to someone other than Kalan!"

"Yes…but even so you only have one day, and even for a genius like you it would be a rather difficult thing to master all of these abilities and teachings enough to make a difference."

They all turned to the newest arrival, Mashiro, being wheeled in by Fumi…how she made it so easily and quietly down the stairs in that wheelchair was a mystery. Kain stared at her. "You…you're…."

"This is the first time we've met…I'm Mashiro Kazahana, and I run Garderobe Academy. All these masters can help you, but it'd be best if they had some time to do it in. I can help with that." She suddenly produced, from literally nowhere, a large globe filled with swirling clouds, about the size of a beach ball. She tossed it forward, where it stopped and hovered in mid-air. As those around stared into it, they could see the clouds parting to reveal some sort of miniature island within.

Kain recognized both its energy signature and its appearance. "This is…."

"You've already had some experience with this," Mashiro smiled. "You've trained with the 'Golden Angel' in her little 'resort'…this works on the same principle, but there's no comparison between the two. My little world here has no limit or requirement of stay—and the time acceleration is two hundred times normal. We can give you several more months of training."

Kain stared. Then he smiled slightly. "Of course…that much is more than possible…since you're really…."

"And one more, your first trump card…come here, please."

Surprised, Kain did so, walking up to stand in front of the child-owner. "Kneel," she instructed him, and he did so.

"What's this?" he asked cautiously as he stared nearly level at her smiling face.

"As I said, a trump card…as well as, shall we say, justice…? Kamo, if you would, please…."

Kain began to turn to the little rodent questioningly, but Mashiro suddenly reached out, grabbed his face, turned his head…and pulled him in to kiss him. Kamo's magic circle went off, bathing the two of them in the energy of the contract.

November 22nd, the day of the Final Round, 13:30 Orimus Standard Time.

Chibi-Neko-Chisame stalked around the globe, her arms crossed. She paced with agitation, glancing back at the mini-world every once in a while. Kamo was sitting on top of it.

"Gah!" Chisame finally spat. "Still not ready!?"

"Looks like he still needs time," Kamo replied.

"What could he be doing!? Artoria, Ricardo, Armitage, Curtis, the rest…they've already gone back to take their places and avoid suspicion! What could he possibly be doing without them!?"

"Chisame- _chan_! Kamo!"

The two turned to Lucy, Chibi-Neko-Mai, Chibi-Neko-Kagome, and Chibi-Neko-Nodoka as they came hurrying down the stairs. "We're here to get Kain! What's taking him so long?" Mai demanded. "The stadium's already open! It's only an hour-and-a-half until the match starts!"

"Ah! It's that late already!?"

"Isn't he done training yet!?" Mai continued, running up to the globe. She began to bang on it. "Kain! Hurry up in there!"

"Panicking won't do you any good…you know he can't hear you at all in there."

Mai stopped and glared at Urahara as he approached. "I know," she muttered. "But it's too late! I guess I'll just have to go in there and drag him out…."

"Don't be too hasty," Kisuke continued. "Kain has a purpose if he's working so hard in there down to the wire. It seems he's working on some kind of brand new magic…some kind of mana-form magic."

"Eh…" Nodoka began. "But…mana-form magic is a very limited type of magic. Although the caster takes on the form of some element or other, obtaining that form grants both the advantages and disadvantages of it…becoming water would just make him extremely hard to injure with anything but lightning and extreme fire, for instance…."

"Well, it's just my understanding…apparently he thinks there's something worth pursuing there. In any case, there's little we can do until he's finished, so we might as well wait patiently."

Grudgingly, they complied with Urahara's suggestion, but….

"It's been an hour!" Mai exploded. "There's no time left! What's taking him so long!?"

"It'll take at least fifteen minutes to get to the stadium from here!" Kagome added.

"If he doesn't show up at the match in time, it's treated as a forfeit, right?" Lucy asked.

"Don't tell me he lost his nerve at the last minute and decided not to show up…" Chisame grumbled.

"Oh, c'mon, you know Kain would never do that!" Kamo laughed.

"Well, at any rate, we can't forfeit the match like this!" Kagome insisted. "We've got to get him to the match in time!"

"But he won't make it time!" Chisame retorted. "Maybe we should get someone to enter disguised as him until he's ready…."

"And who would do that!?" Lucy demanded. "They'd get killed by Aiden in two seconds!"

"There's no need for any of that."

The girls were brought up short by the bold and quiet, but quite strong intonation. They turned in surprise as Kain suddenly appeared in their midst. There was a cloud of magic over him that faded away even as he arrived, and not one of the girls, even Mai, got a good look at what it really was.

"I'm ready," Kain continued with a smile. "Let's go."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Character Introduction: Knights of the Round_

 _Again, this chapter is a little smaller than I first envisioned…although I ended up deleting a heart-to-heart between Mai and Momo. I decided to take it away for now and leave it to a flashback for later._

 _The focus of this chapter is Kain preparing for his biggest fight…and getting a meeting with some of the important figures supporting him, until this moment, only behind the scenes. We also got a look into the story of Erza that I'd planned for a while, connecting her to Saber, and their similar magics to each other._

 _Everything else will be settled next chapter…this was just the small prelude. So…._

 _I'd like to go ahead and introduce the Knights of the Round, as they are all some awesome warriors from my favorite games._

 _Wein Cruz comes from the game Growlanser 2, a fairly interesting JRPG with anime influence on the PS2. His companion, Hans Bearnt, is likewise from the same game. Wein (pronounced Wayne) is a young man who enters the knight's academy dreaming of someday becoming an Imperial Knight, the highest rank of knight in the kingdom. Growlanser focused (somewhat; they were always introduced with them early on, and made them your primary 'weapon' equip, but did little to nothing to explain them later on, not even saying how many of your characters actually used them or not) on 'Ring Weapons', magic rings that would turn into an appropriate weapon based on the user's soul at his mental command, similar in some ways to my 'Soul Blade' version of the_ zanpaku-tô _. Wein's was a deathscythe. Wein had an interesting past interwoven into the story, but he's only a minor character here, useful to be the newest and youngest Knight of the Round (Imperial Knight equivalent) and bodyguard for Kaoru and Riku._

 _Matta Monde-Paix (the last name a personal joke of mine; Monde-Paix is a French transliteration of World Peace, making his name Matta World Peace) is based on the main WoW character of my brother-in-law, the husband of Tina, who is MK. He is a Draenei in WoW, and while the actual Draenei race doesn't exist, they make a decent generic_ yôkai _race in their normal form. He's a Retribution Paladin, making him great as a Knight of the Round. He also made a great preliminary-round opponent for Aiden to overcome, being powerful and notable but minor enough that he can wipe him out with one Entropy shot._

 _Leonhardt Raglan is the (first) main character of Agarest War. As the 'Spirit Vessel' who is the first progenitor of the heroes, he is a really cool character, a great swordsman and warrior with an interesting past and history, choosing his ideals and personal pride over his kingdom's demands and social 'honor'. Of course, none of that is present here…Golden Leo is simply an incredible young swordsman (early twenties) who has already risen to become the 2_ _nd_ _(i.e., #2) Knight of the Round. He is noble and caring, fearless and valiant, and, like most anime-esque objects of harem affection, utterly devoid of understanding or sense when it comes to the females who are interested in him._

 _And Cidolfus Orlandeau comes, rather appropriately, from Final Fantasy Tactics. A prominent member of the Goltana faction, he was a compassionate and wise lord and knight who was also, despite being his greatest enemy and rival, the best friend and only trusted contemporary of Balbanes, the hero Ramza's father, during the 100-Year War. Eventually he allows the conspirators to fake his death and joins Ramza's group…at which point that super-hard game becomes ridiculously easy, as Cidolfus 'Thunder God Cid' is the most powerful character in the game with the most powerful weapon (ironically, Excalibur), ridiculous stats, and ALL the awesome sword-skills used by the various other characters, such as Agrias and Gafgarion. He is so awesome, he is quite worthy of the title 'First Knight of the Round.'_

 _And now, the focus is on Kain and Aiden…and, as we will see, on Tôkasa and Izumi…._


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Ten: Dare

"Check out this spectacle! Can you feel the excitement!? Here we are! Just minutes away from the start of the Final Round of the Memorial Tournament, the Kalan Lockeheart Cup!

"We had a day of repose between the last round and this one, and in this time we've completely transformed the stadium! It is now a mock battleground fit for a battle of this caliber! Seating 120,000 people! With a central arena floor 300 meters in diameter! This great coliseum is now the site of the grandest showing of gladiator combat the world has ever seen!

"Who will be our champion!? Will it be Kalan Lockeheart!? Or will it be Aiden Rylack!? All anyone knows is that this will be a battle that will exceed all that have come before!"

8-8-8

While Koto was giving her pre-game announcements, the stadium was buzzing. Only a few minutes before the start of the match…but even though Aiden was waiting patiently at one end of the arena floor, Kain had not yet arrived. The crowd was whispering about his absence; a rather warm contention was running through the spectators. Some wondered if Kalan Lockeheart had chickened out; many of his fans, and even more of his opponents who had fallen to him in the Granicus League, proclaimed that this was impossible.

"Where is that idiot!?" Tôkasa cursed. "What is he playing at!?"

"If he doesn't show and the match is canceled…there's no way we have the manpower to control the riot that's gonna break out!" Vargas moaned.

"Then there shouldn't be a riot," Kain murmured as he came strolling in. "Sorry about being late…."

"You slow bum!" the rooster-head crowed.

"Sorry for making you worry, Tôkasa- _san_ …."

"Just shut up and get in there! There'll be a riot soon if you don't! And dressed like that…."

Kain snapped his fingers, changing himself into the usual gladiator outfit he wore as a fighter of Dolnegus. "I've got that covered." With a wave, he started out towards the coliseum entrance.

To his surprise, five figures interposed themselves in Kain's path. "Riza- _san_ …Yukari- _san_ …Miki- _san_ …Riku- _san_ …Kaoru- _san_ …."

"Kai…Kalan- _san_!"

"So…how does it look?" Riku asked him.

"Well…to be honest, these are my lowest chances, still, of any of my fights thus far…."

"E-eh!? But…what about us!?" Riza demanded.

"Don't worry," Kain insisted with a smile. "I intend to win…but even if I fail, I _will_ get you all freed, and in short order…I am a resourceful man, and I have a few ideas already. But hopefully it won't come to that." He looked over the five, searching for the missing face. "Ah…Izumi- _san_ …?"

"Eh…." Yukari, Riku and Kaoru shared a guilty glance.

Miki stepped forward. "I have a message to pass on," she stated. "'I believe in you,' and, 'Good luck'."

Kain stared. Kaoru suddenly burst out, "M-me too! I believe in you!"

"Good luck," Riku added.

Kain smiled at them. "Thank you. I'm off."

And, to the roars of the crowd, he finally stepped through the tunnel and out into the arena.

8-8-8

"I can't believe it!" moaned Irina as the young HiME flew about the airspace of the coliseum. "How are we stuck on guard duty during the most important of all the matches!? This is injustice! We can't even watch the match live! We'll just have to settle for watching it on all the monitors around here…."

"Stop slacking off!" Nina barked. "We're on duty here! We have to pay attention… _not_ to the match!"

"It's all Nina- _chan_ 's fault," Arika murmured. "Her lousy luck strikes again…ah, those fights were so awesome! I wanted to see the big one, too…."

"Be quiet!" Nina insisted. "It's not like I want to be on duty, either…I'd rather be watching the match, but orders are orders…."

"Oh?" Shiho leered. "Did our great and perfect leader just admit weakness in actually desiring to see the match herself…?"

"E-enough! We're supposed to be on watch!"

8-8-8

Lina turned as Lucy, Mai, Nodoka, Kagome and Chisame came hurrying in to take their seats. "About time," she muttered. "What was taking so long?"

"Kain wouldn't leave until he mastered whatever it was he was practicing," Mai explained. "We hurried as fast as we could…I guess he could have gotten here faster on his own, but…."

"Well, it might be better if he conserves as much energy as he can," Chisame sighed. "He'll need everything he can get…."

"How much of a chance does he have?" Grey asked.

"W-well…" Nodoka began.

"I wouldn't bet against him," Kagome said with a smile. "Kain- _sensei_ …he'll always find a way, that's for sure…."

8-8-8

Aiden smiled at Kain as he walked onto the arena floor and approached for a 'gentlemanly' pre-game greeting as the last few seconds to the start of the match ticked down. Kain stared up at the still taller man, in heavy traveling clothes, his duster pulled close around him, his fedora pulled low over his brow, gazing at Kain over the top of his shades. Aiden stared down at the young man, older and larger than usual but still a feckless youth, dressed in stylistic but serviceable gladiator garb with that distinct, pure snow-white cloak adorning his shoulders, no weapon yet in sight. "Good to see ya, Kiddo. Shall we get it on?"

Kain smiled slightly. "Aiden…I've found another reason to win this fight."

"Oh?" Aiden's look turned serious.

"If I manage to defeat you here…will you acknowledge me as having reached full adulthood?"

Aiden smiled again. "I see…the whole of your past, huh? Well, then…sure…I'll acknowledge you as a man…if you beat me."

"Excellent…then I'll use all my power…to win no matter the cost!"

Koto declared for the competitors to prepare for the engagement, and the two fighters obeyed her injunction to leap back to make a good starting distance between the pair. "Now, let's begin…Final Round…for the Championship…match, start!"

Kain drew forth a card from his cloak. Aiden's eyes widened as his magically-enhanced vision saw Kain's own picture on that card. " _Adeat_!" Kain declared. A wallet-like object appeared in his hand.

 _('An artifact…Kamo, that rascal…. So, who is the one he contracted with…? Probably Saber…no…in the state he is now, the only kind of person who has enough magical power to serve as the Master in a contract with him…the only one I know is…._

 _('That isn't what's important here, though…more importantly, that artifact looks like it's more a support-type, a trick-item, not a weapon, so, let's start with an aggressive offense….')_

Aiden pulled a gun from his coat and fired a shot of powered energy at Kain. Kain was already pulling…another card from the wallet. "Snap," he murmured.

The blast of energy engulfed Kain, but the blast quickly dispersed…blocked by a shining silver sheet that was floating in the air. Momo started in her seat. "T-that's my…."

"That's…interesting…" Aiden murmured. Suddenly, at a gesture from Kain, the cloth went streaking towards the older man. Aiden stepped back, up, away, but it pursued him with speed, unerringly. He took a second step to gain more distance and focused back on Kain…but even as he leveled his gun on Kain, the sash was suddenly there, wrapping around his gun and hand, pulling him off balance, and then Kain, streaming energy because of his True _Kanka_ , appeared behind him and sent him flying to the ground with a powered-up punch.

The sash released Aiden and returned to Kain as Aiden impacted the ground. Then, as Aiden immediately bounced back up and retreated a discreet distance, Kain settled carefully back onto the ground and extended his hand to receive the sash. It transformed back into a card, and then into that wallet. He then pulled another card…and with his command of " _Apparait_ ," it became a book, from which he pulled a spear.

"And that is…!" Ami gasped.

"Shabon Spray," Kain said quietly, and a blast of freezing fog rolled out from him, filling the arena. Aiden looked around easily, searching for his now-hidden opponent.

Kain appeared behind Aiden, who turned to dodge his thrust without effort and reached out to grab the spear just under its head, but Kain and spear vanished. He was then behind and above Aiden again. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" The blast of ice-water hit Aiden next, forcing him away again.

Aiden fired another shot that created a blast of hot air that swept away the fog. Kain was already retreating away, changing artifacts again. This time his card became a short, wide-bladed sword that crackled with electricity. Kain sent a blast of lightning Aiden's way, which he canceled out with another shot from his pistol.

"And now mine," Kenjirô chuckled. "Well, well, that's an interesting trinket, all right…."

"I see…" Aiden murmured. "So it's a type that gives you access to all the artifacts of your established partners. That's a pretty sneaky, powerful artifact you've gotten…for someone like you, it's like getting over a dozen artifacts from a single contract. Only something far more than human could give you something like that…a Celestial, right?"

Kain smiled in reply. "That's right…a gift from the heavens…my 'Master's Privilege'."

8-8-8

 _["Mashiro Kazahana…she's not human?" Kain asked Kamo._

 _"Far from it. Like Alyssa, she's been 'about ten years old' for a long time…generations of HiME have passed through her school under her watchful eye. Few outside of her top HiME have seen her. And how else could Garderobe have had access to MagiTech like the GEMs for so many centuries? They seem pretty high-tech, even being MagiTech, but they haven't changed since their original conception. No, she's been in charge of the whole thing all this time."_

 _"Like Alyssa…she is a_ mazoku _, too, then?"_

 _Kamo chuckled. "Nope. The opposite. Not_ mazoku _, 'Evil Race', but_ shinzoku _, 'Divine Race'. Not Infernal, but Celestial."_

 _"She's…Celestial?" Kain demanded in awe. "But…aren't they a myth…?"_

 _"Ah, now_ that's _a thoroughly brainwashed reaction. You humans are always so much more prone to believe in the demonic than in the holy. If such divine beings exist, you all seem to think, why don't they do more to put a stop to human suffering? They are rare, they don't involve themselves with mortals much, but they are very real. Their purposes are not generally indifferent or callous, but rather they simply know that mankind does its best if it's allowed to grow in its struggles, rather than being coddled. They get most of their nourishment from human emotions, just like_ mazoku _, so they hang around humans, but they aren't prone to interfering in larger ways. They might be all around…a remarkably clever animal, a simple content street performer, a local farmer or merchant, a child playing…they all could be just what they appear, or they could be a Celestial. Even you would have a hard time figuring them out…even if you were looking._

 _"Mashiro is one of the most active in this world, and doesn't hide what she is very well from those that matter. She hasn't done big things, but she's helped us out already…and she's taking care of Yuecchi for us. She's in good company…."]_

8-8-8

"After that video of yours, Kamo told me even more great things about Celestials," Kain said conversationally. "But that doesn't matter fight now. In any case, this artifact, 'The Master's Privilege', with its incredible variety of abilities, is my first trump card."

"Your _first_ trump card, eh? Interesting. What else have you got?"

Kain smiled slyly. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He returned his wallet to card and thence back to his cloak. "Most of your attacks and spells won't be effective against me with the kinds of artifacts I can pull to counter them. Just that threat is a good edge…and I can use it as I need to in order to supplement my attacks. Now we're down to a 'man's fight'—a battle with the fists, shall we say?"

Aiden chuckled. He slipped his gun back into his coat. "That's what you want? Fine, then…but I warn you, even if I'm known as a gunman, I'm no slouch unarmed, you know…."

"That's fine," Kain said. "It's not just normal unarmed, of course. Here's trump card #2." He once again assumed his True _Kanka_ , then raised his hand and a globe of black-red chaos-fire gathered in his grasp.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Oi, oi…you said with fists, but you're trying a spell like that to supplement it…I've seen that doom bolt of yours before, and it's a nice spell, but hardly worthy of being a trump card in a fight like this…."

Wordlessly, a small smile on his face, Kain brought the spell in front of him close to his chest. He began to chant: "World within, self without, all becomes one and within my realm." The magic circle began to gather under him as he chanted, and then he squeezed his hand over the spell violently and…it melted into him. Kain's _kanka_ power quivered as it was invaded by the chaos-fire of the doom bolt. Kain's hair shot rigid and became dark black while his skin became totally blood red, and a red-black haze settled over his clothes and cloak, obscuring their normal colors. Even Kain's semi-visible 'wings', those faint signatures of his immense power, took on a new appearance, becoming rather like flames as they blasted out, becoming red-black and flickering like real flames themselves.

Aiden's eyes widened in shock as he felt the backblast of erupting magical power roll out from Kain. Then the boy was in his face, planting a fist into his gut. His already-present shields and wards were ignored, as if they weren't even there, and Kain's fist landed solidly without interference. Aiden began to fly away, but before he even realized what was happening Kain was catching him from behind and slamming him into the ground. Aiden managed to recover quickly this time and retreat away into the air, but Kain was already there, again behind him. He whirled around with savage punch, but Kain stepped easily around the attack and again sent Aiden flying with a strike of his own.

 _('This speed…this power…this is pretty crazy…this kid really is….')_

Aiden managed to avoid the next attack and retreat to a safe distance from which to observe his unbelievable foe. "I see…so you've taken the doom bolt into yourself?"

"Close," Kain smiled. "But not quite." Then he grabbed Aiden's head from behind and slammed him into the ground again.

The abuse continued as Kain's fan base stared in shock, awe, and delight. While most of his friends and students thrilled at his apparent dominance, Chisame stared dubiously. "He's…transformed himself into the doom bolt?" she demanded of her information network.

"That's right," Kamo averred. "Kain's biggest advantage now is that his body is more than human…he's already partially constructed of mana. That means that his body is far more malleable by magic, and can return to its original shape without lasting harm. And so it can take on the forms of the elements with ease, while the magic in his body still allows him to imitate the superhuman upped-up body he's used to. The doom bolt is his signature spell, his greatest weapon, a bolt of chaos-fire…literally, the elements of Chaos and Fire. He takes those attributes and all the related powers of his spell to himself. Chaos and Fire both focus on attack power and speed, if you think of them like game attributes. In particular, of course, his doom bolt evades all magical defenses and penetrates armor without effort. That means that Kain has all those enhanced attributes and his attacks all completely ignore magic barriers and anything else. He's the very pinnacle of an offensive weapon now…even Aiden's tricks and relics won't protect him from that kind of power…."

8-8-8

The air and ground shook around them. Arika started. "W-what was that!?"

"Ah…I-I just got a call," Irina said, almost sheepishly. "They wanted to inform us that these, uh, explosions are from the contestants at the stadium…they aren't a terrorist attack or anything…."

8-8-8

Kain's fully powered punch sent Aiden crashing into the ground, shaking the entire stadium. Even the vaunted shield surrounding the arena floor seemed hardly sufficient to protect against the power of the attacks. Aiden lay still on the ground. Kain settled down a small distance from him and let the energy drain off and away. He stared at his opponent's unmoving body.

"W-what a beginning!" Koto enthused. "Although Aiden has been the favorite in the betting previous to the start of this match, Kalan has been the shining star of this fight! He has first demonstrated a wide array of powerful artifacts, and then revealed a stunning transformation, none of which has been seen in any of his previous matches! Even the invincible Aiden seems to have been overwhelmed by Kalan Lockeheart's incredible power! I'm going to have to start counting! One! Two!"

Kain's students stared with mixed expressions…some exulting with delight, others staring in shock. Kain smiled slightly. "Even now…all the time I've gotten is nothing compared to what you've acquired," he murmured to himself. "I still haven't seen the full extent of what you can do…I can't even know what you'll come up with. Since I can't match your techniques and skills, I just have to overcome you in pure stats, using just what you've given me."

"N-no way…" Kagome began.

"H-he actually won…? Just like that…?"

"Ha!" Ricardo roared. "That kid really did it! Aiden just let his guard down…that was amazing!"

"Unbelievable," muttered Haruka. "The famed Mage-Killer, taken out so easily…?"

From the special booth they'd been given to watch this final match, the 'uninvolved' girls also watched with glee. Even Miki's normally bland face was truly awed and excited, Riza was roaring, Yukari sighed with relief, Kaoru and Riku celebrated…and Izumi stared in admiration. "Kalan- _san_ ," she murmured as she stared at her hero. Then she shook her head. "No…Kain- _kun_ …."

8-8-8

Three days previously….

 _[Tôkasa took Kain up onto one of the terraces of the arena. "What's this about, Tôkasa-_ san _?" Kain asked dourly._

 _"Don't play dumb with me. I know all about who you really are. But man…to think that you were a wanted man, with a bounty on your head all along…."_

 _Kain shook his head and started away. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I have a match to prepare for…I don't have time for whatever kind of stupidity you're spouting now…."_

 _As Kain began to move, Tôkasa stopped him and shoved him up against the wall. He slammed a hand against the wall right next to Kain's head. "I said don't play dumb!" He produced a small video device. "I've been tracking you these past five days, doing a bit of investigating, you know? I got all the proof I need; want a look, 'Randis Helam'?"_

 _He played the video, and it showed a white-cloaked Kalan in a dark alley, who popped a pill and then, after a puff of almost theatrical smoke, a white-cloaked Kain emerged. "And just so you know, this is the real deal. No magically-altered footage here. This will hold up just fine as evidence in any court in the land, particularly the Republic. Now, that's some high-level transformation magic you got, for sure, and you've been pretty damn careful, but I'm someone who made a living in certain underworld circles because of his perceptive abilities; it was only a matter of time before your gig was up." The man began to laugh. "Well! To think that the number one earning fighter on my team was a wanted fugitive! And it ain't just you, either—Kôjirô, those girls that have been hanging around you…they're all on that wanted list too, aren't they? If I turned you all in, I'd be able to live in luxury for at least the next ten years…."_

 _Kain leveled a deadly stare at Tôkasa. The wind began to whip from his energy as he drew it out._

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tôkasa protested. "You want to fight or something? In a place like this? You ought to think a bit more carefully. If I holler right now, the HiME guarding this place will come running, and if they start investigating this, you won't be able to cover it up. And I've already made preparations…if something happens to me, a copy of this goes to both the Republic and the local HiME guards. You won't be able to get out of this by force."_

 _"Is that so?" Kain murmured. "But maybe you're the one who should rethink things. Do you really think that you're the only one who figured this out? That no one else could get proof? This is a bad time to make these kinds of accusations…on the eve of the greatest betting match this place has seen in twenty years…spoiling it in such a fashion could anger a_ lot _of people, including your own boss. Besides, I have never called myself by the name 'Randis Helam'. I have never used that name. I have done nothing to merit any bounty on my head. That testimony, too, would hold up under any truthsayer or truth compulsion magic, and would be valid in court. The name of Kalan Lockeheart belongs to me, far more than to anyone else on this world right now."_

 _"Is that so? Feh, it doesn't even matter. Maybe this sort of thing would rock the boat…but I'm just some unknown, insignificant arena trainer. I'm beneath notice. Even a well-placed and evidenced rumor about your criminal status would bring all sorts of problems to you and your merry little band…at the very least, it would make it almost impossible to free those little slaves of yours. I'm a nobody, and I really have nothing to lose…I've already crawled out of the pit of hell. I'm playin' with the house's money. Anything else I get is just a bonus. But you—you have all sorts you can lose." He began to laugh again. "But even so…you're right, so maybe the name of Randis Helam 'doesn't belong to you', and that's fine…I've done even more investigating. To think, that the son of the Grand Archmage himself would come waltzing in here…you, runner-up of the reborn tournament of Mahora Academy, Kain freakin' Lockeheart!"_

 _A figure had just come up onto the roof, but hearing the voices, it had remained around the corner, listening, unnoticed. Upon hearing this declaration, Izumi tensed and stared in shock._

 _"And to think you're really just a teenage brat yourself," the man continued. "I guess it explains why you're so sweet on those slaves of yours you're trying to rescue. To think you can be that strong when you're really such a kid…imitating an older person, at least compared to reality, is actually a good idea. Well, that doesn't matter."_

 _Tôkasa put away the video and produced another item…a collar, quite similar to the one worn by the captive slaves. "We're pals, you and me, right? Eatin' from the same pot. So I won't go and report you. Like you say, it would just cause problems. And in return…for my generosity…you can become my servant, do what I tell you from now on, all right? If you do that, I can forget all about any bounty or identity crisis. You'll have to wear this as proof, of course—a slave collar, like those girls got, magically equipped with explosives that'll put a swift end to any attempt to run away. You can just tell everyone else that you worked up some ambling' debts, and I'm shoulderin' 'em for you. Or…I guess you can just let those lovely pals of yours end up in jail! C'mon, what'll it be, o son of the hero? What's your choice? Not that you've got one! Guahaha! Man, this is sweet! To have the son of Kalan himself, at my beck and call…."_

 _As Tôkasa chortled, Kain was thinking._ ('If it was sent out, how quickly would it be before someone took action? Could I possibly finish the tournament before they came for me? This is dangerous—I have many options now, but we should avoid as many complications as we can…at least until those four are freed. Well…if worse comes to worst, I have a couple options to deal with this that he's unaware of. Right now, in this state, I could probably disable all the magical traps and wards by myself, even without Mai. So, to get through this, the best choice is….')

 _"Very well, then, Tôkasa-_ san _…I suppose I have no choice…."_

 _"AHHH! I'M SORRY!"_

 _Izumi suddenly came barreling into Tôkasa, spilling her burden on him. "OH, NO! All of tonight's CURRY!"_

 _Tôkasa began to roar in pain and anger. "GAH! What the hell are you doing!?"_

 _"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Izumi said cheerfully. "I'm just such a klutz sometimes!"_

 _The man rounded on her in rage, but he was brought up short by her identity…and by the look on her face. "You…don't tell me you were…." Suddenly he whirled around and began to stalk away. "Kalan! Just you think about what I said! We'll talk about this again tomorrow…I hope you'll have your decision by then!"_

 _Kain watched him go, then carefully turned his gaze to the quite common, vacantly cheerful face of Izumi._ ('That's the question…how much did she overhear…?') _"Are you all right, Izumi-_ san _?" he asked her._

 _"Sure!" she said cheerfully._

 _"About that just now…."_

 _"Ah, look at this! I got myself dirty, too! And now all of tonight's dinner will have to be redone! I better get on it, or Chief will get mad at me!" And the girl was gone._

 _Kain stared after her. "Izumi-_ san _…dammit…what do I do about this now…?"_

 _Later on, Izumi was in the servants' bath area, under the washing station, crying as the water showered her. Outside, the nightly fireworks were starting, but this night they meant nothing to the girl. She wasn't sure anything would matter to her again…._

 _"Oh, Izumi…there you are," Miki murmured, entering and approaching her. "What are you doing? Everyone is gathering…." She stopped as she noticed her condition…Izumi was quickly trying to stifle her tears, but super-sleuth Miki was not one to be deceived by such attempts. "Have you been…crying? Izumi, what's wrong…?"_

 _Izumi finally turned her tear-stained face Miki's way. "K-Kain-_ kun _…" she sputtered. "A-and K-Kalan-_ san _…."_

 _Miki froze as the realization hit her. "I see…so you found out…? I'm sorry, I…."_

 _Izumi suddenly threw herself onto Miki, bawling and clutching her desperately. Miki held her back and began to massage her head. "There, there…I'm sorry, Izumi…I should have told you, but…well…."_

 _Miki fell silent, unable to say any more. Instead she just held Izumi and continued petting, letting her vent the fallout of her troubled emotions….]_

8-8-8

"Nine! Ten…!"

"That's a frightening technique," Shunsui murmured. "Still…to think that Aiden Rylack would be defeated that easily…."

"D-did Kain- _sensei_ really do it?" Akari said. "I-it seemed too easy…."

"It was far too easy," Delryn growled. "That guy couldn't have been done in just with that…not him…."

"Fourteen! Fif…!"

Suddenly Aiden stood up. Koto fell silent, staring at him in shock. With a sigh, the man took off his hat, which had miraculously been unharmed in the exchange, dusted it off, and put it back on his head.

"I-it can't be…is that guy human?" Lucy demanded.

"He seems…invincible," Kiami remarked. "Even more so than the vaunted 'James Bond'…."

"N-no way…what kind of joke is this?" Miki muttered.

"N-no! D-don't tell me…he looks unharmed! Is he really invincible!?" Chisame screamed.

"Kain- _sensei_ ," Nodoka quavered in fear.

Jade adjusted his glasses. "I have seen many mysteries and wonders in my time…but this…."

"Oh, Jade!" Peony moaned next to him. "I'm depressed now. I bet quite a lot of money on Kalan…."

"Then I advise you to be more wise with your spending in the future," Field Marshal Overcast advised his liege.

Kain stared, then shook his head. "Unbelievable. I wasn't sure if I really got you, but…you look completely unharmed….."

"Unharmed? That hurt like hell!" Aiden responded. "What kind of technique was that!? That was just insane!" He reached into his coat and removed a handful of talismans that were even now burning up, turning to ash and disappearing. "There are vitality charms…you'd think of them like temporary bonus HP in a video game. That technique of yours was pretty slick…by taking your doom bolt into yourself, you become the doom bolt, and your fists have that same ability to penetrate any shield or protection. But artificial lifeforce will still take the damage for me first."

He tossed the last few useless scraps away. "Of course, I figured I'd prepared enough to make our duel last a good while…so I could really measure you out and push you as far as you could go. But you went and drained me almost dry in round one…that means I'm gonna have to get serious." He adjusted his hat again. "Luckily, they at least bought me the time to get a real good look at that technique of yours. It's brilliant, Kiddo, really…but it's got some serious weaknesses, too." He pulled a pistol from his coat. "Okay, time for round two."

Kain tensed and assumed his new battle form. Suddenly Aiden was behind him. Kain started to glance behind him in shock. _('Impossible…how can he be that fast!?')_

An explosion left Kain instantly engulfed in a massive hedgehog of ice. He finally burst from it, trying to keep from screaming out in pain. _('I've never felt pain like this before! What is that!?')_

And then Aiden was above him, punching him in the face before he even realized what was happening. The blow didn't have much effect on Kain's largely magical form, and Kain counterattacked, but Aiden dodged the strike easily, grabbed his arm, and then put his gun up to Kain point-blank again. Another shot sent him flying in another cloud of terrible ice.

Kain hit the ground and began to race away, striving to get some distance so that he could try to analyze his opponent's unbelievable offensive. Again, however, Aiden arrived at his destination first. A _ki_ -charged kick sent Kain flying the opposite direction again. Aiden moved in, continuing his unrelenting offensive, battering Kain this time with more _ki-_ charged strikes. Finally he sent Kain flying back up into the air. Then he appeared up there with him, grabbed Kain by the throat, and held him aloft in the air before him.

"Your biggest weakness is your elemental affinity," Aiden said. "You've done awesome with that technique—elemental 'body of' spells are sometimes used by mages, but never seriously, because they have too many weaknesses…but you absorbed some high-level elements while retaining a mostly human form, giving you all the offense and defense of both, the best of both worlds. But you still have the drawbacks—you absorbed a spell dedicated to nothing but lethal offense, and have that power in your fists, but nothing protecting your form other than the magical nature of your new body. So my magical attacks are completely effective against you. Furthermore, your body, being now composed of a Chaos-Fire composite element, is vulnerable to its elemental opposites—the Ice of Order, which I've been assaulting you with. You made yourself far too exposed to that kind of damage.

"Of course, my other trick isn't really your fault…you just could never prepare for it." He held up his right hand, which held his gun, and showed off the amulet on his wrist. "This little trinket is called Accelerando. It speeds up my mental processes and reaction speed. Once you reach the highest levels of magical and _ki_ combat, there's a limit to how fast you can move—based not on power or real speed, but mental quickness. Humans can only perceive the world at a limited speed. This artifact allows me to surpass that mental speed…so I can use all my power and even teleportation magic without any of the usual drawbacks. It allows me to even surpass your insane superhuman speeds and powers. If this is all you've got…it's great…but it's not enough."

Kain managed to stare down at Aiden through his pain-clouded eyes. _('E-even so…no matter how fast the brain moves, if the body can't react along with it, it doesn't mean anything…even now, he's capable of pulling out all this power to match me…and surpass me….')_

Aiden raised his pistol to Kain again, and pulled the trigger. Another explosion of ice sent Kain hurtling back down to the ground.

8-8-8

Eminus stared at the screen. He was unmoving, even as Ellis opened the door and walked in. She stared at him in surprise. "Eminus- _sama_ …so you are here…how is the match progressing…?"

She blanched and took a step backward as Eminus turned his gaze her way. His face, usually passive and blank, devoid of emotion, was largely unchanged, but there was a coldness there, a vicious and savage anger. "E-Eminus- _sama_...?"

Eminus turned back to the screen without a word. His hand, errantly resting on the back of a nearby chair, absently-mindedly crushed the object.

8-8-8

Kain impacted hard, bounced…and collapsed, lying still. Aiden settled down across from him. Koto once again surfaced to take in the scene. "Unbelievable! While it looked at first as if Kalan Lockeheart was dominating this match, Aiden Rylack recovered from the initial assault just in the nick of time, and while showing no signs of injury! A-and if that wasn't enough, he then responded with a counterattack that seems to have his foe completely defeated! There's no movement from Kalan! Again, a fighter is defeated if he dies, gives up, or cannot fight any longer, so I will count him to fifteen! One! Two! Three…!"

Roars filled the stadium as Koto counted, some cheering Aiden and many more calling on Kalan. Kain's thoughts surged around as he lay in that bed of pain. All his magical and elemental power was again drained from his body, but the memory and results of the punishment he had just received lingered on, sapping him of strength. He felt the warm blood flowing across his face from multiple sources. _('Aiden…he really is just too incredible…is this…really as far as I go…?')_

As everyone else around her seemed to be shouting loud enough to wake the dead, Izumi stared down at the beaten man in silent shock. _('No! Kain-_ kun _…you can't…you promised…!')_

8-8-8

Two days previously.

 _[Izumi couldn't bring herself to go see the semi-final between Kalan Lockeheart and Byakuya Kuchiki. She felt some measure of pleasure and relief upon hearing about Kalan's victory, but most of her was still rather numb. When her work was done for the day, she made her way to one of the less frequented roof sections of the estate and lost herself in her thoughts. She thought about her hero, her many happy memories of him…casual dates…a thoughtful gift…several encouraging and pleasant e-mails…his heroic arrival…his triumphant march through the tournaments…._

('All those times…it wasn't really Kalan- _san_ …but Kain - _kun…_ Kain- _sensei_ …I just…I want to….')

 _And then she seemed to come to some sort of decision, steeled something within herself._

 _Miki found her as she purposefully made her way through the halls._

 _"Izumi? What's gotten into you? Where are you going?"_

 _"To see Tôkasa-_ san. _I've got to convince him to leave Kalan-_ san… _Kain-_ kun _…alone."_

 _"What? Izumi! You can't be serious! You haven't forgotten what these collars mean, have you? We can't do anything to go against these people…!"_

 _"I know that." Izumi stopped suddenly and stared at the ground, downcast. "I know…all my life, I thought I was a special person…I was spoiled…Daddy did everything for me, went to any length to make me happy, could get me anything I ever wanted. He even ignored my twin brother to focus on me exclusively. I led…a charmed life…until I came here. Now I've realized just how insignificant I really am. I even thought Kalan Lockeheart was my personal hero, the champion who was there just for me…but that, too, was a lie. Kain-_ kun _is a wonderful person, but he belongs to all of us…and we all fit his big heart as just pieces of the class. No, I'm not special at all. I'm a dunce and an idiot, a klutz and a useless person…here, I'm less than dirt. Just a pathetic little slave. But even someone useless like me should be able to do something…right?" She turned a cheerful smile with barely-concealed tears back at Miki, and then, before the shocked girl could reply, she started off again at an even quicker pace._

 _The occupants looked up in surprise as Izumi came boldly in, with Miki fretting behind her. The common room for the gladiator trainers was currently occupied by Tôkasa, his two main flunkies, a guardsman and one of Dolnegus'_ yôkai _legal counselors, all playing cards…with Tôkasa with a book in his hand as well. "Excuse me!" Izumi declared, before really taking any of this in._

 _Tôkasa looked up from the book he was reading. His stern, annoyed glare brought Izumi up short, but she gulped down her fear and steeled her nerves._

 _"What are you going here,_ Ojô-chan _?" asked the legal aide._

 _"I have a request to make!" Izumi announced, then focused all her will into her task. She turned to Tôkasa. "Please, T-Tôkasa-_ san _, I'm begging you! Please leave Kain-_ kun _alone from now on!"_

 _This announcement brought surprise to the peanut gallery. "Oi, did you hit your head or something, girlie?" asked one of the flunkies._

 _"And why the hell should I listen to a request from a slave like you?" Tôkasa asked with a sigh._

 _"I'm willing to make a deal!" Izumi pressed. "I…I will take his place! Instead of Kain-_ kun _, you can do whatever you like with me!"_

 _Tôkasa narrowed his eyes at her. Miki started in fright. "I-Izumi! T-that's enough! Think about what you're saying! Izumi!"_

 _"Is this for real!?" chortled one of the flunkies._

 _"Woohoo!" added the other unnecessarily._

 _The_ yôkai _stood up. "_ Ojô-chan _," he began. "…Do you realize what you are saying? I daresay you should be aware of this, but official slaves such as yourself are awarded certain rights and protections against excessive mistreatment or violence from your masters. Any transgressions against that treaty are transferred automatically through the monitoring functions integrated into the collars you wear. As odd as it may seem, those collars, while they restrict your freedom, they also serve to protect you. HOWEVER…should the slave herself willingly surrender her right to such protection…then it can be invalidated, and will not be afforded. Do you understand what this means?"_

 _"Sure we know what that means!" guffawed Flunky #1._

 _"Did she just…yeah…she did just say we could do anything we wanted, right!?" enthused Flunky #2._

 _The aide glanced over at the pair, then turned back to Izumi. "…Are you really sure about this? You heard them."_

 _Izumi tensed, doubt creeping into her brilliant plan for perhaps the first time. Flunky #1 wasn't waiting. "Well, then, let's start with our own little strip show, shall we!? The both of them!"_

 _"Woohoo! I like it!"_

 _"N-now wait a minute!" Miki insisted. "I-I'm not agreeing to anything! And, furthermore, Izumi isn't either! We're done here, right, Izumi!?"_

 _This only spurred the two on, and they began to whoop and holler for the pair to 'entertain' them. Then suddenly Tôkasa roared, silencing the room and bringing peace to it. "Knock it off, you idiots!" The room focused on him, in shock, fear and surprise. Then he tossed his small video device to Izumi, who, despite her shock, managed to catch it. "Here…take the evidence," he spat._

 _"O-oh…" began Flunky #1, "then…you're accepting the deal?"_

 _"We can have her!? We can have her, right!?"_

 _Tôkasa slammed them both over the head, knocking them senseless. "Yeah, right…as if we'd have any interest in kids like you…."_

 _The pair stared after the man. "T-then…why?" demanded Miki in morbid fascination._

 _The man scoffed. "No reason. I just got bored, that's all." And he walked out of the room._

 _They followed him out anyway. He went out to the arena grounds and, for something to do, started to clean the arena. "Ah, I'm beat…" he muttered._

 _"E-excuse me…Tôkasa-_ san _…" Izumi began._

 _He focused on her. "Huh? What? Don't tell me you want something else?"_

 _"Why did you suddenly decide to give in like that?" Miki demanded. "Without any kind of return, after all the effort you put in…?"_

 _"Eh? I told you, didn't I? I just got bored, that's all."_

 _"B-but…we just thought…there had to be more to it than that…" Izumi said._

 _"You idiots are just overthinkin' this. In fact, I'm the one who should be asking you: what the hell were you thinkin'!? And you, if you're her friend, why didn't you try a hell of lot harder to stop her!? You went and said the one thing that a slave should never, ever say, ever, even if their lives are at stake…the thing that is a fate worse than death! Once a slave surrenders his protection, nothing is sacred…he can be killed at will, and no one can do anything about it! That ain't even the worst that could happen! No matter what kind of threats you face, no matter what the situation is, that's the one thing you never say! What the hell were you thinkin', runnin' your mouth off like that!? Do you have any brains in your head at all!?"_

 _Izumi cast her head down. "W-well, I...I heard about you from the Chief…." This remark brought Tôkasa up short. "How twenty years ago, when Orimus collapsed, all three of you ended up as slaves…how the Chief an Vargas-_ san _became gladiators to earn money, and how they freed you first of all…about how, even though you were freed and could have gone anywhere, you chose to stay and take the place of the Chief after she retired. How you worked ten years to buy the freedom of the Chief and Vargas after they retired…. After hearing all that, I always thought you couldn't be such a bad person after all…."_

 _Miki stared at her friend quietly._ ('Izumi…so, this is what you were thinking about…I always thought of you as empty-headed and weak, but…well, like I'm anyone to talk, but still…you really aren't weak, Izumi….')

 _Tôkasa simply scoffed. "Eh? What, you really thought that just because of that, I wasn't such a bad guy? You really are just the most gullible little idiot, aren't you? The only reason I stuck around was because fighting's the only thing an idiot like me is good for. Just remember that little tidbit—once a piece of trash, always a piece of trash. Once a villain, always a villain. It makes me sick just looking at an empty-headed gullible little dumbass like you. That guy Kalan is the same way—I mean, there he was, just playin' at bein' a knight in shining armor for you, but even after you find out, you try and go and take the frickin' bullet for him!? Just how dumb can you be!?"_

 _"No…" Miki suddenly put in. "You can't blame Kain-_ sensei _for that. He's a useless idiot when it comes to girls—he could never pull off that kind of deception out of malice or a desire for any kind of personal satisfaction. It's me, her terrible, idiot friend, most responsible for tricking her like this…hiding it from her all his time because she 'needed the fantasy'. Maybe it was short-sighted of her…but don't dismiss Izumi's sacrifice on Kain-_ sensei _'s account."_

 _Tôkasa scoffed again. "…I'm leaving, yeah? I'll keep my nose out of your business; that's what you wanted, right?"_

 _"One more question, please," Miki suddenly insisted. "You're rough and unrefined, but you're not a real villain, despite what you say…why did you try to blackmail Kain-_ sensei _like that in the first place?"_

 _The man glared at her, but suddenly relented and answered her. "That Kalan of yours…he's a monster. I mean, look at that…he's trying to free you guys in three frickin' months. Three months…to do what took me and_ Aniki _18 years of blood, sweat, and tears to pull off. Do you have any idea how that feels for a piece of trash like me? I guess you really don't. …No, I guess you actually do. Right now, maybe you have some idea of how it feels to be the kind of trash that can never be the real hero, no matter how you try." And, finally, he wandered away._

 _Later on that evening, Tôkasa's voice could be heard again…swearing at Kain as he worked him with his fists. "You bastard! You try saying that again! You really…don't think…you can beat…Aiden!?_ What the hell is that supposed to mean _!?"_

 _"The more I learn…the less confident I feel," Kain remarked. "Everything he's experienced…everything he's had to grow through…he just feels like a monster who's already gone through hell…what can I do to match that…?"_

 _"The hell is that supposed to mean!? You're doin' in 3 months what took me 18 long years! You're_ BOTH _monsters! You just took down that Kuchiki Byakuya! What's the difference!?"_

 _Another few blows slammed Kain into the wall. Calmly, he continued, "I just…still don't think I really have it…that…mentality I need to reach that stage…no matter what, I can't shake my fear…I can't find that confidence I need…."_

 _Another powerful punch slammed across Kain's jaw, dropping him to the ground._ ('S-strong…was Tôkasa always this strong?') _Kain thought, stunned._

 _"You don't know?" the older man said. "You don't have it…you're too afraid…? Don't screw with me! There you are, the hero, standing center stage…standing on that stage I never could! Those in the spotlight don't get to say things like that!" Tôkasa turned his back on Kain and sighed. "That slave girl…Izumi, that's her name…she just asked me to drop everything I had on you, and I agreed. That's what I came here to say to you. But I guess it was a waste of time. For all that insane, inhuman power you got…on the inside, you're just a piece of trash like me. You're not even worth it." And he walked out on him._

 _And finally, just shortly after this, Izumi found Kain mulling these things in his mind up on the roof while the night's festival fireworks started. "Kalan-_ san _…."_

 _Kain turned to her. "Izumi-_ san _…I heard…no, I should tell you…that is…."_

 _"P-please, stop," Izumi insisted, stepping up to him. "I-it's all right…you don't need to say anything." Then she reached up, took his head, and kissed him. Kain stared at her in surprise as she released him. "Kalan-_ san _…I l-love you…no…I loved you." She suddenly flushed and began to panic. "N-no…you don't have to answer or anything, i-it's just, Daddy always said a kiss was a good reward for someone as thanks, haha, e-even though I was just a little girl at the time…." She took in a deep breath and finally finished. "A-anyway, Kalan-_ san _…no, Kain-_ kun _. If you want to do something for me, just promise me…you'll win, and beat Aiden, right?"]_

8-8-8

"Four! Five!"

 _('Aiden, when he's serious…is it any different from Eminus if he gets serious, or anyone else? Is it going to be this bad? I've been beaten and broken down before…but…this time, it feels so much worse…I'm always afraid…because I think of the worst that can happen…and this is why…this is the worst…right?')_

Somehow, in the cacophony of the noise and past the counts, he suddenly began to hear the important voices at the edge of his hearing.

"That can't be all," Momo insisted. "Stand up, Kain- _sensei_."

"No matter how impressive that first assault was, it means nothing if that was your best," Tôshirô remarked. "That's hardly worthy of his son…."

"Kain- _sensei_ …you cannot fall," murmured Rei.

"The hell are you doing, lying down on the job!?" Chisame screamed. " _Sensei_ , get a hold of yourself!"

"I can't stand it…seeing you in that shape," added Shinji. "Don't let it end here."

"The son of Kalan Lockeheart must be capable of more," muttered Rangiku.

"Get your ass up!" Lina shouted. "No way can you stop at _this_ stage!"

"You've got to keep going!" Gourry called.

"The leader of this army can't possibly be this weak; otherwise, what are any of us fighting for?" Zelgadis growled.

"You can do it, Kain- _sensei_!" Kagome called.

"Show some backbone, would ya!?" Inuyasha roared.

"You can do it! Stand up!" Shippô cheered.

"You can't lose like that! You're stronger than that!" Yoshimori contributed.

"Please…everyone's counting on you!" Tokine pleaded.

" _S-Sensei_ …you can! You have to!" Nodoka insisted.

"Don't give up yet!" Lucy added.

"You can't avenge me if you just take a nap!" Natsu raged.

"You can't give up yet…not from that," Grey growled.

"Come on, son of Lockeheart!" cried Erza.

"Show us your real talents, kid," Shunsui insisted.

"You have to be capable of more," offered Jûshirô.

"It's up to you," Hikaru murmured.

"The mighty will of the hero doesn't know defeat!" Minsc roared.

"Everyone needs you…y-you have to," Aerie quavered.

"That wasn't nearly impressive enough," the younger Overcast said.

"Are you going to let everyone's efforts go to waste?" Jade demanded.

"That was hardly a proper display of Kain- _sensei_ ," Kiami noted.

"K-Kain- _sensei_ …you can't give up…you can't lose!" declared Kazumi.

"Is that _really_ all? From the guy who defeated Kuchiki Byakuya?" Delryn demanded.

"Kain- _sensei_! Fight!" insisted Akari.

"You're not done yet," Ami averred.

"You can still continue, Kain- _sensei_ ," Tear assured him.

"Show the pride and fight of Earth mages!" Rin added.

"K-Kalan- _san_ …you've got to get up again!" Mei pleaded.

"You still can fight," agreed Kajirô.

"Kain- _sensei_ cannot fall that easily," Isumi said proudly.

"Kain- _sensei_! You won't stop now! You _won't_!" called Hinagiku.

"Kain! Get up! You don't have any other choice! You can't _not_ do this!" Mai commanded.

"The Lockeheart name is made of fighters," Renji pointed out.

"You must do it," Rukia added.

"Kain- _sensei_! Too many people depend on you!" Riku yelled.

"We believe in you, Kain- _sensei_!" Kaoru cheered.

"We all know there's more to you," Kisuke said.

"Get up, Kain Lockeheart," Yoruichi pressed.

"Is the weight too much for you? That's not possible," Artoria added.

"C'mon, Kain- _sensei_!" Riza said.

"You can do it!" Yukari declared.

"You have us behind you…you won't let us down," Kenjirô insisted.

"We're depending on you," Miki pointed out.

"Please, Kain- _kun_ …you promised!" Izumi insisted.

"Come now, my chosen champion…do your best, Kain Lockeheart. Your story can't end here," Mashiro murmured.

 _('…No, this isn't the worst…even dying isn't the worst…the worst is giving up before you've even tried….')_

"Thirteen! Fourteen! Fif—!"

The voice that suddenly emerged from Kain's body was low, quiet, but somehow cut through the roar of the crowd, and even stopped Koto's count dead. "Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole…."

Kain hauled himself to a knee and began to push himself up. "I thank whatever Gods may be for my unconquerable soul." He stood up further. "In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody…but unbowed."

He finally came fully to his feet. "Beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms but the horror of the shade, and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll…I am the master of my fate." He flexed and his True _Kanka_ exploded off of him. "I am the captain of my soul."

"Very pretty," Aiden said in response. "But you can't beat me by quoting poetry. What more have you got?"

Kain smiled. "Well, we'll see. Thanks for the wake-up call. I'm just been too afraid…but that's unworthy of someone standing on this stage. I'm actually afraid of a mere human…after all you did to make me into something more. After all I risked to reach this stage. No…even after taking this form, I was most afraid of myself. Of becoming a monster. How stupid…after I was so determined to gain this power _at any cost_. Well…it's time for me to stop being afraid and stand on that stage, the stage I've been reaching for all this time. Let's go."

Aiden adjusted his cap. "That's right. It's time for Round 3…shall we make this the final one?"

"We'll see. Let's go…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: The Opening!_

 _Flashbacks have dragged this out a bit…it's already bigger than the rest of my chapters, and most of it actually wasn't combat. But that's okay…we've just seen, as it were, the foreplay. The real test begins next chapter._

 _So, we'll go on to it! The finish, Part 2 of Kain vs. Aiden! I'll do all the important notes next time!_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Eleven: The Touch

Kain once again gathered his doom bolt in his hand, and then absorbed the power, transforming himself into his Chaos-Fire form. Aiden clucked and shook his head. "I told you, Kid, that's a nice technique…but it does no good to use it on someone who can exploit its weaknesses…."

He appeared behind Kain, his gun raised to fire, and the younger man simply seemed to glance at Aiden over his shoulder, making no other motion. Aiden fired, and ice engulfed Kain.

After a few moments, however, the ice shattered. A sword tip burst from the fog, connected with Aiden, and sent him flying. A moment later the cloud of ice crystals finally cleared, revealing the red-black-wrapped Kain holding a sword in his hands…a very familiar sword.

Hinagiku started this time. "T-that's my…Shirozakura!"

Aiden recovered and stared at Kain. "So…another artifact from your girls, huh? That's…a powerful anti-magic sword. So…."

Suddenly Kain was standing in front of him. The black-red began to race up his new blade, and he struck. Aiden just moved to avoid the attack, and then Kain, taking the sword in both hands, continued his assault. Aiden dodged and weaved, then stepped behind Kain, but even as he raised his gun to fire, Kain was behind him again. He failed to dodge this time and retreated, a smarting blow stinging his shoulder, and even as he tried to retreat, Kain was already engaged with him again.

 _('Impossible…he's already adjusted to my speed and reactions…how is he doing it? Did he already come up with a spell on his own…?')_

Aiden fired at Kain, who immediately dodged. Aiden didn't slow down, firing seemingly at random, each shot also detonating at random into a small explosion. Each one forced Kain away from Aiden, giving him more and more room. Finally Aiden tossed his empty pistol away and pulled out…a card. " _Adeat_ ," he intoned.

The bubble of sub-space rose up around him. The rows of guns, in a way as magnificent as Byakuya's sea of swords, came into existence at his side and behind him, and Aiden began to open fire, taking up each weapon one or two at a time and firing seemingly without care at his foe.

Each bullet was, like his usual gunfire, more than a simple shot—each exploded in power, taking on various properties such as bursting into a scatter shot of smaller missiles, homing on Kain, exploding, or taking on elemental properties. Kain dodged and weaved the bullets, blocked many of them with this sword, and fired missiles of his own at Aiden, but they vanished against that translucent wall without any apparent effect. As Aiden's ammunition closed in on Kain despite his talents, he suddenly switched gears, calling up lightning in his hand and then taking it into himself just as he had done with the doom bolt. Aiden noted the transformation with approval and surprise—obviously the doom bolt was his favorite, but Kain seemed able to change his elemental properties at will. By assuming the form of lightning his speed reached an unparalleled level, allowing him to easily dodge Aiden's shots, but it was no foolproof solution to this problem—it did nothing to help him strike back against his foe.

Kain was not going through this ordeal without pain, despite his talents and tricks. _('I can't keep this up…even if his ammunition isn't unlimited, he's still at a huge advantage. Time to turn this up a notch….')_

He slipped Shirozakura into his cloak, and it vanished from sight. Aiden noted this action but was unaware of Kain's intentions, and so he kept firing. Finally he threw aside his empty assault rifle and grabbed the minigun. As he swung it up to bear on Kain, a sword suddenly came slashing down, cutting right through the barrel of the weapon. Aiden stared at the broken weapon in shock—Shirozakura stood there in the air, wielded by no mortal hand, but now within his sealed subspace. Then it swung around his direction. He jumped back, but the blade cleaved through his private world, bringing an end to his attack and returning his artifact to card form.

As Kain gestured to have the sword continue its assault, Aiden drew another pistol and shot the blade point blank, sending it spinning back through the air. It burst into light and returned to the wallet when Kain caught it. Kain then stepped behind Aiden again, but this time the man was waiting. A small ball almost like a snow globe flew from his hand, enlarged en route, and then, after surrounding Kain, suddenly shrunk to a marble's size, leaving no trace of the boy.

8-8-8

 _'The true definition of a pocket dimension,'_ announced Aiden for the benefit of the audience, Koto, and, it turned out, Kain as well, as he heard the man's voice wafting through the air. _'You are now confined in a separate universe bound by rigid rules. The rules of this world say that you can leave it only after you've defeated the guardian. It's perhaps a bit cowardly, but you've pushed me pretty hard. I could use a break. Have fun with the pet…and hope your little trinket has an artifact that can get you out of this one….'_

Kain stared up at the massive dinosaur-like creature above him. It stared down at him and roared. Then it opened its mouth wide, and heat and light began to burn down its throat, rising for the surface. "Actually, I think I do," he said, and pulled another card from his wallet. "Launch," he commanded, holding Rei's card in his hand.

The purple frame of the Evangelion materialized around him in its breathtaking fashion, and Kain went to work on the giant _kaiju_.

8-8-8

Aiden stared at Kain as he emerged from the marble without much delay, and sighed deeply. "What, just like that? Give me a break…."

Kain materialized Shirozakura once again. "What, getting cold feet now? You're the one who started this…you better be ready to finish it."

Aiden shook his head and smirked. "Damn…you're really learning to talk big, kid. You never stop showing off, do you? Despite your reservations, you keep coming up with more tricks and counters all the time. You not only mastered that doom bolt transformation…you can do it with any attack spell. Your incredible artifact aside, you seem quite adept with all the different weapons at your disposal. You use that cloak like you were born with it…punching through my artifact and cutting it off, something that's never been done before. You even found a counterspell or something to counteract my Accelerando. You're even a step ahead of me there…."

"Well, I've long been aware of the potential of an enhanced _sense_ of time," Kain responded. "I've been thinking up theories for a while now, just never had the opportunity or need for it. Now…after seeing your artifact at work, I found the last piece. In case you're wondering, I've been supplementing it with some light Time magic…a bit of additional acceleration in spurts."

Aiden shook his head. "Okay, I get it…I've seen that cloak in action plenty, but still…to see a kid basically reinventing a Lost Magic just from his contact with it…you really are pretty amazing, Kiddo…."

"He's attempting to be a warrior, but that's not really his calling. The fact is, he's an absolute genius at magical development," Jade murmured. "Any military would give an arm and a leg for a young prodigy like that…seeing him right now, I can truly sympathize with him. Yes…his brilliance compares even to her…."

Kain chuckled. "Really…here you are praising me…after doing your best to smash me into the ground. You're mesmerized by what I can do, but even so…you're a bigger mystery to me. Why are you even doing this?"

Aiden adjusted his hat. "…What are you talking about?"

"This fight…it's far more intense than even my fight against Byakuya. Me…well, it needn't be said what I'm fighting for. The reasons are too numerous to count, and too important to waste time talking about. But what about you? This seems to be going a bit far for any kind of tournament, or even some major 'test of manhood' or whatever you want to call it. What on earth are you really fighting me for? Are you just that embarrassed about being one-upped by the younger generation, or what?"

"Reasons," Aiden chuckled. "Yeah, that's the question…."

8-8-8

 _[Aiden watched the youths heading out of Urahara Shoten, chatting excitedly about the 'movie' they just watched, with Soul Reapers shadowing them for protection. Kamo was sitting on his shoulder, also watching them. "Well, Kamo," Aiden murmured. "It's time you gave me the whole story…I'm sure you know more than you've told the kid. What, exactly, are we dealing with here?"_

 _Kamo sighed. "Well…it's true I haven't shared everything. Mostly I've just held back…the usual information. It's not much…but I'll tell you what Jynx finally told me, after the tournament._

 _"See, we first met Eminus in Kyoto…I recognized what he was in part, even though he was different, but he was really holding back…I figured he really was a leftover of the Obsidian Star, a symbol of how broken they were…the only Eminus left, a kid in form and power. But still…well, here's what I finally learned…._

 _"Jynx stayed a little while with Kalan and Aeli after Kain was born. Mira, of course, was helping to look after the baby, and the boys spent some of their time cleaning up some last few problems from the war…then Jynx, probably feeling out of place with the newly-blessed newlyweds, was going to head back to Arcanus Myrror and go to Avalon. But…on that day…something attacked their home at Halie. Mira managed to hide with the baby, but Aeli…was taken. Kalan and Jynx tracked the perpetrator into Arcanus Myrror, to a lost site of the no-man's land on the southern continent not far from that 'Tower of Heaven'. A guardian confronted them…Pakrov Eminus."_

 _Kamo gestured, and an image appeared in the air…a man dressed in a navy-blue school uniform, looking rather like the boy-like automaton they had seen earlier that day, but older, with brown, blond, silver, and red-streaked hair, with eyes that seemed to shift constantly between spectrums. "An Eminus totally unlike the ones we encountered before. He was powerful, wielding all four elements and all the combinations in between. He even took out Jynx before Kalan was able to beat him. Then he had to send Jynx back to the little 'respawn lair' he'd been working on…so Jynx doesn't know any further than that. But now we have a few more pieces. All the versions of Eminus we've met before had their own names, but this kid shares the same one as the ultimate Eminus they fought fifteen years ago. And he has a true name of 'The Remnant'…furthermore, what Kain saw earlier, what spooked him so in that last stone page he was barely able to read, was a statement from Eminus that he and the Grand Archmage had 'defeated each other' fifteen years ago. And now all trace of Kalan and Aeli has vanished. But the Obsidian Star has come back."_

 _"And now they're preparing their plot once again," Aiden continued softly. "To unite seven magical worlds into one, to make a perfect, perhaps eternal home for themselves. Mai had been taken beyond their reach, so they made do with the next-best thing…Aeli Kanna, who was also a descendant of the royal bloodline of Kanev and Takiva, even if she hadn't been so painstakingly 'constructed'. And furthermore…those artifacts…."_

 _"Right…what Kagome and Nodoka talked about, the Shapesphere, Always One, and the Marble. I've consulted Kisuke, Mashiro, even Etrigan, and they seem to figure that those items, combined with the power of the Kanev bloodline, could be the skeleton for a personal world. But…."_

 _"The point is, they're back…and if they aren't worse than ever, they're just as tough." Aiden shook his head. "Thanks, Kamo…that's what I needed to hear….."]_

8-8-8

 _[The morning of November 22_ _nd_ _, Aiden's personal suite at the arena grounds._

 _Iria watched her husband prepare. He laid out a rather mind-boggling variety of guns, ammunition,_ kanji- _equipped prayer strips, round objects varying in overall shape between 'grenade' and snow globe, and even stranger trinkets. After considering them carefully, he began to pour his magic into them and then loaded all of them into that coat of his which, while not an artifact like Kalan's cloak, was still equipped with far deeper pockets than ordinary reality would suggest._

 _"All those to have a fight with one little boy," Iria murmured, watching. "I haven't seen you decked out like this since the Necro-Pharaoh Aul-Guldar-Haron attacked Bartea ten years ago. Are you really that afraid of the son of your old best friend? It seems like overkill for a simple tournament…or even as grand a tournament as this…."_

 _Aiden chuckled as he loaded and prepped another pistol. "This is far more than a tournament…until now, I had no idea just how bad things could be. But the truth is…it could be bad."_

 _He sighted down the weapon as he confessed his fears to his wife. "Twenty years ago we defeated the Obsidian Star…but that's hardly the truth. Kalan was the only one who could face their prince, and he defeated him…or so it seemed. But now, after all this time, it seems they've come back as strong as ever. And we don't have the manpower left…Gato's dead. Kalan and Aeli are gone. Jynx and Eishun are trapped back on Earth. That leaves me, Saber, and Byakuya…all that's left of the original Red Wings. We've gotten older…except maybe for Byakuya, it's hard to say if we're really stronger, at least strong enough to face this enemy. We need the younger generation…and, more than that, we need Kain. He's the only one who has the potential to face them. I_ have _to make sure he's really ready. I'm the only one who really can._

 _"Some twenty-odd years ago, Kalan was attacked by Kôtarô Hanatabi, the same sword demon we saw in the tournament, only stronger. He just wanted to challenge Kalan, but after seeing him in action, he decided that Kalan had a 'wyrd', a destiny, and pushed him to see him strong enough to fulfill it."_

 _"And you think Kain has this same 'wyrd'?" Iria said half-teasingly. "You're the Kôtarô to his Kalan? The one who will help him realize his destiny?"_

 _"Heh. In a sense. Rather, I think Kain is Luke to Kalan's Anakin. Anakin was the 'chosen one', but it turned out that Luke had to be the final hero. Anakin was the great prodigy, the one who was to be greater than any Jedi that came before…by comparison, Luke was late to the party. Kain, at first glance, doesn't seem as amazing as his father, although that's a pretty unfair comparison. But he's got plenty of potential, plenty of strength and talent…and, yes, he has his own 'wyrd'." Aiden finished putting away the last of his supplies. "What I'm doing, how far I'm willing to go to force him up…it might be unfair, but I even gave him the chance to back out. He chose the path of the 'hero', and now he has to pay the price for it. Even if neither of us yet knows what that price will be."]_

8-8-8

"My reasons…well, we'll see," Aiden said. "I have 'em, but there's no more need for talking here. If you're going to defeat me, it's time to stop talking."

"Right." Kain smiled slightly. He couldn't read Aiden's mind, but he could see the look in his eyes…the same eyes Sakura had shown him many months ago….

 _["This silly plan…you're right, I never really wanted to see it through," Sakura said. "Although magic can indeed help people, although it's normal for me to grow up in a world with powers and see the help it can bring, it just seems…nice, this little niche that science and a lack of magic have created. But I needed to make you stronger, Kain-_ sensei _…I had to make you grow, so that you'll be strong enough to face the trials that are coming. So that you can save this world."]_

Kain shook the thought away and powered up again. "Here I come."

Kain moved in close, and Aiden fired…Kain dodged the shot, or thought he did, but his power was sapped by the bullet, the same as it had been at the end of his duel against Byakuya…both his elemental transformation and his _kanka_ were suddenly gone, and the sudden absence stopped him cold. Aiden hit him hard.

Kain fell back, rolling with the blow, recovered, and powered up again. Aiden was behind him, and while he retaliated quickly, Aiden was able to fire another shot that once again sapped all of Kain's power away. Again he landed a good hit and Kain was repulsed.

"You're obviously wondering 'how many of those can he have'?" Aiden smirked. "The answer is: as many as I want. You didn't think my gun magic was all in my weapons, did you? I work my gun magic by enchanting the bullets while they're loaded and then firing my desired effect. True, the guns and bullets are inherently magical, designed to take the spells specifically. So…now what?"

Kain powered up a third time for this exchange and again assaulted Aiden. A third time Aiden managed to deflect his attacks and sap his power. This time, however, Kain was ready, and caught Aiden's follow-up attack. A brief struggle of counters and reversals ensued as each man tried to get a lock on his opponent. Finally Kain broke off from the exchange, slipped behind Aiden, and palmed another card to his hand. "Appear," he instructed it, and it transformed into a six-foot pole topped with a curved blade.

"Eh?" Hinagiku said, confused. "I've never seen that one before…."

"T-that's mine," Erika admitted. "I haven't had a chance to do much with it myself yet…it's Beniarashi [Scarlet Storm]."

Kain began to turn this weapon on Aiden, and then, in the middle of his assault, he flared up with his True _Kanka_ power once again. Aiden blocked and retreated, but as he tried to center his gun on Kain, a blade of lightning suddenly flashed out from his new weapon and blasted it from Aiden's hand. He tried to draw another one, but again that lightning flashed and he lost it immediately.

Kain pressed his advantage, until, in the midst of his whirling dance, his cloak suddenly fell underneath his foot and he slipped on it. Aiden seized full advantage of this momentary slip and hit Kain with a hard straight punch, sending him flying. Kain recovered quickly, using his new weapon to slow his momentum, and stared at the distant Aiden.

Aiden sighed. "Man, I messed up…I was trying not to do that…."

Kain dusted himself off. "That was your Entropy, wasn't it? I was wondering where that was…."

"I was trying not to use it," Aiden reiterated, shrugging.

"What? Why?"

"Entropy is for 'winning at any cost', as you put it. It's not for a duel like this…not for pushing you to your limits. It's not made for training or making someone stronger. But you went and pushed me far enough that I used it reflexively, defensively, instinctively. You _are_ good, Kain."

"Ah…that's too bad, really. I was all prepared with countermeasures for when you started fighting with it. Oh well." Kain dismissed his newest artifact. "Anyway, it's as I expected…like Sakura, you're not fighting to win, but to try me with a refiner's fire, although you'll take the win if I don't fight as hard as I can. Well, I think I'm tired of the game. Time to end this…check out my 3rd trump card."

"Third?" Aiden asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kain raised a hand above his head and began to chant. "Darkness beyond blackest pitch, the gold that shines in the dark eye of Chaos. Darkness that is the creator and destroyer of all things. Gather to me, and obey my command…serve this Master of Magic! Big Bang!"

A giant globe of black-gold chaos energy gathered in the air above Kain's hand. Lina started in her seat. "That's…energy from the Lord of Nightmares, the progenitor of all Infernals and Celestials! It's the same in theory as my Ragna Blade…but much more powerful! Did he just come up with that himself!?"

"Oh, is that…dangerous…?" Gourry asked.

"It makes my Dragonslave look a firecracker, you nimrod!"

"Gaaah! Head for the hills…!"

"Oh, shut up and sit down….."

Aiden was also admiring the force of the forming spell. "Well…a simple attack spell? Of course, that's about an anti-fortress level magic, so it's a stretch to call it 'simple'…. In any case, if you're so proud of it, I guess I should test it out fully." He suddenly pulled his Caster and loaded it. "Again, to fight Chaos…let's get the biggest flash of Order I can pull off." He pulled his trigger, beginning the pre-firing charging process, and poured his magic into the shell at the same time. Finally a great flash of silver-white energy roared from the archaic weapon towards Kain.

Then the spell stopped suddenly right in front of Kain as a magic circle flashed into existence underneath him. The entire arena, audience, Koto, and Aiden too, stared in silent shock at Kain. Kain's small smile deepened. "Oh, and my trump card #4."

"You were expecting it…baiting me to retaliate!?"

Kain reached out with his other hand and grasped the magic. It flowed into his grip and raced up his arm, exploding into an aura of power. Then Kain let his own spell fall into his grip, and it flashed down his other arm. He let his power focus, and the energies he had absorbed melded with his _kanka_ , giving him an aura that was white-silver mixed with black-gold. His blazing wings also came out fully-formed, one that same white-silver and one black-gold.

"I see," Jade murmured. "With a body now mostly mana, he developed a way to absorb his own magic and alter his flesh still further…but he could only do that with his own magic. Others' magic was, of course, too…foreign. But that spell he cast allowed him to exert dominion over Aiden's attack. To think that he was able to weave that spell right under Aiden's nose while battling him…what a frightening child…."

"And now, more than anything…to be absorbing and wielding two opposing elements at their peak power, at the same time…" Aiden muttered.

Kain readied himself. "Here I come, Aiden…the final attack."

Kain flashed in. A double-fisted punch of Chaos and Order power erupted….

Koto was thrown through the air by the explosion of power. She grabbed onto a tree that had been planted in the field around the arena floor and held on as the vortex continued to blast her. "W-what an attack!" Koto screamed. "I've never seen anything like it! Is…is there going to be anything left of Aiden after that…!?"

Even as Koto spoke, the shield that surrounded the arena and protected the audience became visible, cracked, and shattered…and at the same time, the last aftereffects of the spell and explosion ended, dropping Koto to the ground roughly. "O-ow…w-well…w-what do we have here…!?"

Kain was revealed first, completely void of power. Aiden appeared second, standing as well and apparently completely unharmed. Kain stared in surprise, then shook his head. "Really…incredible…after all that…you're completely unharmed…?"

"Unharmed?" Aiden let loose a mad, almost barking laugh. "Hell, I'm lucky to be alive… _real_ lucky. You know what your dad did to block my ultimate shot, right? I did about the same thing here…calling on all my Entropy, I diverted the attack by having the shield around us absorb it for me, going into 'failsafe mode' to protect the audience from that nuclear strike. That took all my power…I have nothing left. The last of my trinkets and artifacts are all used up, too. From the look of things, you're in the same boat." He shook his head. "Unbelievable…you may think we're 'incredible', but now you're one of those 'incredible' people yourself. You stepped up there onto your own stage and became the main attraction yourself. Any one of those 'trump cards' of yours was magnificent. All together…there's got to be no one in the world like you, Kid. That was splendid. You exceeded my expectations; not once, not twice, but three times and more. You wanted it…now, you've fully proven yourself a man, if that's what you wanted. Aiden Rylack of the Red Wings gives you his seal of approval." He smiled and raised a fist. "Well…" he murmured. "Neither of us have anything left, but we're still standing…it'd be a shame to end it like this. Shall we just settle this, in celebration, like 'real men', and just let our fists finish talking for us?"

Kain stared back, then smiled, a very mixed expression on his face. "That's far from my preference…but I guess we have no choice, right?"

Laughing, the two men charged together and began to lay into each other with their fists. The expression was crude, but in a way accurate; although both had long since become skilled fist-fighters, the two were so drained even their usual tactics in combat were impossible. They couldn't do much more but trade off slugging each other in the face.

 _('This kid, Kalan…can you see him? Can you see what he's done? Yes, I can see it…no matter what happens, I know this kid will finish this for you, for all of us. You have nothing to worry about. Your legacy and this world are both in good hands….')_

"I-incredible…they're both so unbelievable…" Mei murmured.

"How far he's come…I'm used to being awed by our captains," Momo noted, "but seeing humans like that…makes me feel so insignificant…."

"W-what a fight!" Koto said. "After all those amazing attacks, unbelievable artifacts, incomprehensible spells…our fighters are completely drained, but neither one will give up! It's fallen into the most unsophisticated barbaric brawl! How long can they go on, when everything else is exhausted!?"

"It seems they've lost all interest in the outcome of the battle," Saber sighed. "Oh, well…that's men for you, I suppose…."

 _('Ah…this takes me back…he's almost your complete opposite, but…even though it's nothing like it…it somehow still reminds me of when we fought…when we battled together, side-by-side…Kalan….')_

There was one final exchange of punches, somehow each man connecting with his foe's jaw simultaneously. And then, the next moment, they both fell to the ground.

F I N

 _Author's Note: The Final Tournament_

 _Well, here we are! On a mini-cliffhanger, since it never said who won…._

 _Anyway, the drama was heightened by Izumi finding out about Kain's secret, and us finding out about that idiot/jerk/heartless bastard Tôkasa. That section was again almost entirely taken out of the original. Ako had the same reveal and issues with it…Miki's side comments and such are somewhat different than Akira gave in the same situation, and that's about it. It's a very surprising turn around for Tôkasa, who was never shown to have_ any _redeeming qualities…it's not enough for me to start liking him, but it's an interesting subplot, so I decided to include it. The guy deserves at least that much._

 _I finally decided to have Kain bolster himself with an ability very similar to Negi's true Magia Erebia, taking in his magic to transform his body. I do like the tactic—it's similar to what Hiei used in YuYu Hakushô's Dark Tournament, absorbing his Black Dragon Wave or whatever. It also makes sense as a possible ability for Kain, whose body has already been evolved. I didn't exactly intend it originally, but as I was planning it out, I figured that this power was a good one for him. In his case, it doesn't have to be a black magic, and it isn't going to destroy his invincible body. It simply gives him weaknesses appropriate as counters to his enhanced strength._

 _Similarly, his artifact was stolen directly from Negi. It's just too cool and appropriate for a person with that many contracts…the ability to use all those powers he's given to other people. Sometimes, I just can't help completely absconding with the coolest stuff…._

 _Aiden went a little all-out here, as Kain noted (and his inspiration/creator also repeatedly noted). Jack Rakan was the invincible superhero, totally broken joke character, unable-to-hold-back out-there go-to-extreme madman, and so the battle had to go this far. Aiden normally wouldn't. But these are very unusual circumstances…like Jynx imitating Colonel Sanders in the previous tournament, I had to emulate the original a little more than usual in this case, but I think Aiden does have enough reasons. Aiden's had enough proof that, somehow or other, this group_ took care of _the invincible Kalan. Kalan's son, if he's going to avenge/rescue him, whichever the case might be, he needs to be as strong as possible. Kain needs to be refined, especially mentally. So he goes through everything he can, except, as he explained, his Entropy magic, because it breaks people in ways that really don't allow them to overcome and get stronger._

 _Kain's taken his last step. Now, we have to get ready for the final confrontation with the Obsidian Star…after we clean up the aftermath of this tournament…._


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Twelve: Nothin's Gonna Stand in Our Way

The newspapers screamed the news the next morning: Draw!

Despite the official announcement, the watching audience had differing opinions about the outcome, and fights and squabbles over whether Aiden had simply allowed Kalan to fight him to a draw or Kalan really had outfought Aiden the entire time raged across the city…in addition to the 120,000 watching audience members, over one million citizens and visitors in Orimus watched on the most expensive pay-per-view program to ever be levied against the common folk. Only one thing was agreed upon: it was the most magnificent, stupendous battle ever witnessed.

"But that doesn't do us much good," Kain sighed. "While I'm really satisfied—I didn't honestly expect to even get that far against Aiden—I didn't earn the money I needed to get to free you girls…."

They were gathered together on the roof of Dolnegus' estate—a large portion of the group, including the slaves, Mai and her roommates, the _kekkaishi_ and Tear and her comrades, Chisame, Kenjirô, Nodoka, Ami, and the Fairy Tail group, Lina and Gourry, Hinagiku, Erika, and Rei, Kazumi, Kaoru, and Riku. Most of the others had stopped in to at least congratulate Kain for his efforts, but were now out and about on other errands or pursuits—obviously, too many to innumerate.

"N-no, it's all right, Kain- _kun_ ," Izumi assured him. "You were amazing…we can't ask for anything more…."

"Well, we certainly wouldn't be anywhere without you," Miki admitted. "While we'd certainly like to be freed more quickly, I'm sure you have some other, back-up plans, right?"

"That's right," Riza agreed. "Our super-genius teacher would never leave us as slaves, right?"

Yukari stared at her curiously. "When did _you_ find out about Kain- _sensei_ 's identity, anyway?"

"Oh, I figured it out a long time ago," Riza assured her with a thumbs-up. "It was kinda obvious, you know?"

"Yeah, right," Mai muttered. "Well, at least she can go with the flow…."

"So, what ideas do you have?" Momo pressed.

"Well, if it comes down to it, we can always cancel the contracts and make a run for it," Kain said. "As strange as it is to say, Dolnegus has actually been rather good to us, so I hate to go that route unless it's absolutely necessary. We still have several weeks before the Festival finishes and our time to use the Gate is optimal, so we can figure something else out. I'm sure I can raise the rest of the money through some sort of clever enterprise, or get Aiden or Saber to help me access my father's funds…."

"Ah, don't think too hard, Kain. You've done enough of that recently…you'll sprain something."

Everyone glanced over in surprise as Aiden entered, flanked by a beautiful dark-haired woman who was probably near middle age. He was wrapped in bandages, which Kain wasn't—he'd had the ministrations of Kagome to help him—but he was grinning broadly and seemed in good spirits. "Aiden…" Kain murmured.

To his surprise, Aiden tossed him a heavy sack. "Here. The rest of the winnings. You earned it. Now go buy your girls' freedom…one million juls, right?"

"A-Aiden…?"

"Oi, what's this?" Chisame demanded in surprise. "I thought you were going to keep your winnings for yourself, no matter what…."

Aiden chuckled. "Well, honestly, I was being stubborn then, but I admit defeat now. Kain won that match…even if I wasn't there to specifically win, as you gathered, you outperformed me. I prepared everything to push you as far as I could, I spent a couple million just on consumable enchantments and the like…they're all gone now, and you fought your way through every one of them. I've acknowledged you as a 'real man', an 'adult' or whatever is important to you…you more than earned that, Kid. I have nothing left to teach you…you've 'graduated' as my student, that's for sure. Nicely done."

The woman behind him smiled. "Any one of those techniques you came up with would be enough to make any magic university professor go weak in the knees," Iria informed him. "To have pushed Aiden so far with them…that's a real talent. Even using one as a simple lure…anything any man could say a fighter needs, 'brains and tactics', 'sheer strength', 'guts'…you've demonstrated them all."

Aiden nodded and turned to go. "I've got nothing more to say right now, Kain. Now, you kids go get yourselves out of this mess…you've still got some work ahead of you."

He started to go, but then stopped suddenly and added almost as an afterthought, "Oh, that's right…since we did acknowledge you as a man and everything…I can say now that Aeli Kanna was most definitely your mother. As you saw, she was a feisty little thing…kinda makes your own reserved nature all the more remarkable. Anyway…take care of the rest of your duties here, Kain." And, with his wife trailing him, he walked out.

Kenjirô chuckled and stepped forward, slapping Kain on the shoulder as he watched Aiden leave. "Well, there you go, Kain. Mission accomplished. After all that, you got everything you wanted. Knowledge about your dad _and_ your mom, the money to free the slaves…we're on the fast track now."

Kain smiled and shook his head. "Everything? No…we've just gotten started." Then he turned to Izumi, Miki, Riza, and Yukari. "Well, then…I guess the first thing we should do is get you girls taken care of…."

"Y-yes! Please take care of us!" Izumi said.

"Oh, _yokata_ …" Miki breathed. "Finally, we're done with this…."

"All right!" Riza cheered.

"Right…Kain- _sensei_ …Kenjirô- _kun_ …thank you for everything," Yukari finished.

8-8-8

The transaction was made, and the ceremony for the freeing of the slaves was set up—in its seemingly ridiculous fashion, the buying, selling, freeing, and so forth of slaves was an international law with great pomp and circumstance attached to it. The sale was not the slaves to 'Kalan', but officially recognized as the act of Kalan Lockeheart and Kôjirô Tanabi purchasing the freedom of the slaves and officially paying off their debt. Kain paid Dolnegus' representative before a notary public, who turned out, to Kain's surprise, to be Mashiro Kazahana herself, and she turned the keys over to Kain and Kenjirô. Kain then unlocked the collars of Miki, then Izumi, while Kenjirô unlocked the collars of Riza and Yukari. With this, the four slaves were symbolically and quite legally and officially freed.

"Kalan- _dono_ ," Dolnegus' representative suddenly said to the man as Kain and his group prepared to leave. "Dolnegus sends his best wishes to you and yours for your future endeavors. We know we are unlikely to ever see you again, seeing that your participation in our group was merely due to unfortunate circumstances…but if you ever feel the need to fight or earn money again, do not hesitate to call on us…our league is always open to you."

Kain smiled and nodded. "I understand. Thank you…and thank Dolnegus on my behalf."

He let the others go on ahead of him and lingered behind slightly as they headed out of the estate. "Thanks for earlier, Tôkasa," he said to the man standing in the shadows by the gate. "I only managed to pull that off because you beat some sense into me. It doesn't mean I forgive you for mistreating my friends earlier…but I have to acknowledge what you've done recently with gratitude."

"Ah, stuff your thanks," Tôkasa said. "You're right when you say you won't forgive me…you don't have to, you shouldn't, and I don't want you to. I'm a villain and a piece of trash, and there's no point in messin' with the likes of me. I just didn't want to see the damn upstart that was makin' me look bad look even worse in front of Aiden Rylack. And now I don't ever want to see any of you little brats again." He came up from his slouch and passed back into the manor, waving at Kain as he left. "Later."

Kain smiled slightly and shook his head. "Heh…'I don't want to see you again' and 'later'? He's tough to figure out…but I guess he's proof there's rarely absolute good or evil in anybody." Then he finally started hurrying after his friends.

8-8-8

"We can finally say goodbye to these forms," Adult-Form Kenjirô noted as he and Adult-Form Kain relaxed in a small backroom of Urahara Shoten.

"It's kinda funny," Kain chuckled. "Now, after that tournament, it's definitely easier to be wanted fugitives than it is famous heroes. Now that they've served their purpose and attracted so much attention, we definitely need to put them away for a while."

They popped the pills and returned to their normal forms, then dressed from their oversized gladiator outfits into their more casual clothes (Kain, as was his want, with a snap of his fingers).

They wandered out and were greeted by Mai. "Hey…well done, both of you."

"Of course," Kenjirô said easily. He glanced around. "Where are the ladies of the hour?"

"Don't know…haven't seen them," Mai admitted. "They disappeared shortly after we got here." She focused on Kain. "I haven't had a chance to say anything, really, about your tournament battle…but I guess I really shouldn't bother. Congratulations, and all that. In any case, we've accomplished that...what's our plan now?"

"We still have a few more things to take care of," Kain informed her. "Later on tonight…as a prelude to the party the class is definitely going to throw…I'll talk about the next stage of our plans." He glanced around and noted the missing Kamo. "Well…if you'll excuse me, there are things to be done…."

8-8-8

"Now, there's one other important matter to discuss," Nanami informed the girls in front of her. With Kamo riding her shoulder, she had grabbed and now was instructing Izumi, Riza, Miki, Yukari, Riku and Kaoru. "I think some of you have heard about them already, but there's something very important to understand: while we're all together now (minus one we should be able to recover soon), we still have the bad guys, the Obsidian Star, standing in our way. We might have to beat them to save both this world and ours; at the very least, we'll have to get past them in order to go home. But you six are super novices in the way of magic, which brings big problems. At worst you'll be in the way, and at best you'll simply be in constant danger as we attempt to seize the Gateport below the city."

"T-that's true," Riku muttered. "I hate to admit it, but…if there are any fights similar to what we just saw in that tournament…then we could be killed just from being in the area…."

"So, you want us all to get contracts with Kain- _sensei_ , so we'll have additional protection?" Miki asked blandly.

"Score one for the nosy girl," Kamo chuckled. "That's right…for many reasons, we should have the whole class contracted to Kain now. If we're really lucky, it may give you abilities and items and that will make you useful in the upcoming fights. If nothing else, it'll help keep you protected through the contract's power, and we can keep you in a safe place and summon you with the contract once we're ready to go through."

Muttering, the girls exchanged glances and agreed with this general assessment of the need for assistance. "So…how do we get these contracts?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh? You really don't know, Kaoru?" Miki asked her with interest.

"No…Artoria- _san_ talked about them sometimes, but she never said how they were made…just that Kamo- _kun_ was responsible for them…."

"Oh, it's nothing hard," Kamo informed her cheerfully. "You just have to share a kiss with Kain while I've got the circle ready."

"Wait, a _kiss_?" Riku breathed, horrified. "You mean…Kain- _sensei_ …w-with more than twelve girls…!?"

"Yes, yes, a kiss," Kamo sighed. "It was funny the first few times, but even I'm getting tired of it, and I'm sure our readers are, too. Yes, because of various emergencies, some of which they've told you about, Kain has had to kiss and form contracts with a whole slew of girls, but that's all in the past. With the exception of some particularly aggressive ones, he hasn't been kissed by them apart from the contract."

"And 'kissed by them' as opposed to kissing them," Miki noted. "Yes, that sounds about right…."

"So, anyway!" Nanami insisted. "Your lives are on the line here. You guys decided to ignore all our warnings and everything we told you and followed us to this crazy world; now you have to live with the consequences of your actions. If you want to get home safely, you'll have to bite the bullet and kiss Kain- _sensei_. It's not that bad a deal…."

"Yes, that's true," Riza said levelly. "I don't see what the big deal is, right? One smooch on the cheek and it's over…."

"No, no, it has to be the lips," Kamo corrected her. "We're talking a real kiss, not a weird French greeting or familial display of affection."

"Oh? Well, even so, it's not that bad. To get one of those cool swords or awesome power-ups? I'd kiss ten guys to get my hands on that…."

"Then why don't you go do it right now?" Riku said scathingly.

"Sure, why not? Oh, Kain- _sensei_! Here I am, you predatory young male teacher! Come and kiss me!" And she ran off in pursuit of her target.

The group stared after her. Kamo chuckled and vanished. Riku sighed and shook her head. "I forgot. She really is a _baka_ , isn't she?"

Miki turned to Izumi. "So, do you want to kiss Kain- _sensei_ again, Izumi?"

"W-what!? N-no…!"

"Wait, _again_?" Riku demanded.

"W-wait! T-that's not it! I-I was…."

"I thought I saw you blush when Kamo- _kun_ said that 'aggressive girls' had kissed him," Miki murmured. "Was it before or after you found out Kalan- _san_ was actually Kain- _sensei_?"

"I-I-I really…I-I mean…!"

"Oh, after…how surprising…."

"Eh?" Kaoru started, snapping out of the daydream she had been having. "Wait…Izumi- _chan_ , you kissed Kain- _sensei_ …?"

"I-I-I, well, I-I-I mean…."

"Ho…" Nanami murmured to Kaoru. "Another powerful rival appears, huh? This is interesting…."

Sighing, Yukari, who had been silent the entire time, left the horseplay and wandered off on her own.

8-8-8

Izumi sighed. She had managed to find a little solitude, peace, and quiet away from everyone in order to sort her thoughts. She would have been quite happy to try to forget about her lost love and just go back to her cheerful, quite airheaded self, but this most recent bomb dropped by Nanami and Kamo and this most recent teasing at Miki's hands had unsettled her again. Even now, she began to wish that the man hadn't been an illusion….

"Izumi- _san_ …so here you are."

Izumi started and glanced up. She was in a quiet, unfrequented park, previously alone, but now, with that white ermine riding his white shoulder, was her hero.

"K-Kalan- _san_ …but you're…."

"What are you talking about? I'm right here. Sorry I haven't had a chance to talk to you since we freed you…are you doing all right?"

"Y-yes I am…b-but…you can't be here…i-is this a dream…?"

Kalan chuckled. "Dreams, or reality…who can say? Reality is subjective, after all. Well, the reality I'm concerned with…should be to keep you safe now. Would you make a contract with me, Izumi- _san_ , so I can keep protecting you?"

Izumi stared at him dreamily. "K-Kalan- _san_ …."

Kamo hopped down and formed his circle while Kalan leaned his face in towards Izumi's. Then Izumi suddenly reached up and popped a pill in Kain's mouth, and he swallowed reflexively. In a moment, the younger man was there in his ill-fitting clothes. "Huh? Izumi- _san_ …what was that for?"

Izumi giggled. "Thank you, Kain- _kun_ …I see what you're trying to do…but it's not necessary."

Kain rubbed his head and sighed. "I know that these kisses tend to upset you girls…I thought that if it was your hero, Kalan, it might be easier for you…."

Izumi smiled and shook her head. "No, it's all right. I appreciate everything you do for me, Kain- _kun_ …as my _Sensei_ and as Kalan- _san_. But it's all right…I can make this decision myself." And then she reached out, took Kain's face, and kissed him.

The power flashed, the cards appeared, and Kain withdrew. He shook his head in bemusement. "Well…you pulled one over on me this time, Izumi. I underestimated you. Please take care of me." And he bowed.

Izumi giggled, blushing from her action. "N-no…I should be saying that to you. Please take care of me…now, and in the future."

Kain nodded and stood. "Now…if you'll excuse me, I do have three to go…."

"T-three?" Izumi asked. "What about…?"

"Riza already tracked me down and forced the contract on me." Kain shrugged. "She got a pair of guns or something. From her reaction to it, I think she was rather impressed by Aiden's fighting in the tournament. Yukari is seeing other sources, so there's just Riku- _san_ , Kaoru- _san_ , and Miki- _san_ …."

8-8-8

Kaoru started as Kain and Kamo appeared. "K-Kain- _kun_! There you are! I was looking for you!"

Kain chuckled. "Well, we were looking for you, too. Kamo tells me you've already heard about the contracts. Are you ready to make a contract as well, Kaoru- _san_?"

"Y-yes! I definitely want to!"

As Kamo formed his circle, Kaoru enthusiastically took her place in front of Kain…and suddenly began to feel awkward and embarrassed. _('W-what? Why…am I feeling reluctant? We need this after all, and it's Kain-_ kun _….')_

She shook herself and steeled her resolve. _('No…I want to do this…not just for the protection, but for myself…because I won't fall any more behind anyone!')_ "I'm ready, Kain- _kun_."

They shared their kiss, and again Kamo's circle flashed.

8-8-8

Yukari knocked on the door. After a moment it opened, and Kenjirô glanced out at her. "Oh…Yukari- _san_. There you are. I was wondering where you'd been…."

"Just…around. Anyway…now that we're free...we should make sure to stay protected…right?"

"Ah…of course. So, you've come to make a contract? Just for that protection?"

Yukari shook her head. "No…I've been thinking about everything. I…I am willing to make this contract and be your disciple, and stick with you, Kenjirô- _kun_ , no matter where it takes you."

"Well then…if you're serious…but I'm afraid we'll need Kamo…."

"Right here," Kamo said, appearing. "You kids are keeping me busy, that's for sure!"

"K-Kamo- _kun_ …" Yukari began. "Do you just hear it whenever anyone talks about contracts or something…?"

"No, no…I'm a supernatural spirit of magic and mana, so I have supernatural senses. I'm able to see things that aren't happening around my manifested form if I'm trying to keep track of them. So I was watching you, waiting…don't worry. I don't do it all the time." His circle formed. "So…shall we get on with it?"

The youths nodded. "Yes," Yukari said. She turned to Kenjirô. "Shall we?"

And they shared their kiss.

8-8-8

Miki glanced over at Riku. "So, how long are you going to sulk about this?"

"I-I'm not sulking!" Riku stopped and took a deep breath. That kind of reaction was sounding surprisingly like her sister after she got a fortune she didn't like. She didn't relish the thought. She sighed. "No, I mean…I just…."

"C'mon, now…you don't really think Kain- _sensei_ is a predatory villain of some sort?"

"No, no…he's been with us long enough that I know him that well." She sighed. "I just don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Fine, fine. In any case, if being another one of Kain- _sensei_ 's conquests bothers you, you can contract yourself to another of our party: Yukari's going to see Kenjirô- _kun_ , for instance."

"Really? Well…what about you? Are you considering having someone other than Kain- _sensei_ be your 'master'?"

"Hmm. That is a good question. Apparently Hinagiku is actually a mage descendant...I suppose I could be Hina's disciple. That wouldn't be too bad…." She shook her head. "No, if it comes down to it, if I'm going to magically commit myself to anyone, it should be to the strongest member of our group. I'll have to stick with Kain- _sensei_."  
Riku sighed. "Yeah…I guess you're right…."

"Here you two are," Kain said cheerfully as he walked in, startling both of them. "So…what's up?"

"Hmm." Miki looked over her teacher and noted Kamo now on his shoulder. "Well, since you're here…I guess we should get on with it…."

Miki wandered up to Kain, who nodded. Once again he shared the action as Kamo made his magic…in this case, Kain noted that it was the most 'business-like' one he had received yet. Then Miki turned to Riku. "So, then…your turn, Riku."

Riku had been staring at the act in shock. As Miki mentioned her name, she started, and began, "W-w-wait, I-I-I'm not ready…."

"If we wait until you're 'ready', _Ojô-chan_ , we'll be waiting forever," Kamo smirked as he again formed his circle around her. "C'mon, now…get on with it…."

"B-but…but…."

"Sorry about this, Riku- _san_ ," Kain apologized, stepping up to her. She looked up at him in shock, and he pressed in and delivered the act.

 _('O-oh…this is….')_

After Kain finally withdrew, Riku stood for several long seconds, quite stunned, and then shook herself to life. She gave a small scream. "Y-you thief! T-that was my first kiss, a-and it's just been stolen…!"

"S-sorry…" Kain said again. "I regret this, too…but it's for the best. Right?"

Riku let her rantings go and took the card Kamo proffered. "Y-yeah," she agreed, hiding her flushed face behind the card. "I-I know…it's just…."

"It's okay. I get it. I'll leave you now."

"W-wait."  
Kain stopped in the act of his hasty withdrawal and turned back to her in surprise. "Yes?"

"Well…I-I mean…it wasn't…no, never mind. I'm sorry for overreacting. You and Miki- _chan_ and everyone are right…this is really just payment for my past actions. I'm in your care, Kain- _sensei_ …."

Kain nodded and finally made his departure.

Riku looked after him, then glanced down at the figure in the card—her, dressed in her lacrosse uniform and holding a jeweled staff rather like the one she had used in the Mahora Festival final event. _('So…this stupid thing that Risa was so hot for…and I got it, not her, because….')_

"Well…that wasn't so bad, was it?" Miki whispered in her ear.

Riku jumped. "I-it was just necessary! Now c'mon…the party should be starting soon, right!?" And she stalked out, pocketing her new prize.

8-8-8

The six were once again cornered at the gathering place in Urahara Shoten by Nanami. "So, you all did it? What did you get? Let's see those artifacts!"

With various expressions and emotions, the six produced their new items, changing as well into various outfits—Riza in a 'combat shrine maiden' dress, Izumi in a princess dress, Miki in a party dress of some kind, Yukari in a black suit with a heavy black trench coat, Riku in her lacrosse uniform and Kaoru in her gym clothes. Riza quite proudly showed off her two pistols. "These are 'Thunder' and 'Sunder'," she said, attempting the names in English and generally making them sound identical. "I'm not sure which one's which…I'm not sure how Americans even tell the difference in the names…. Anyway, I'm now a magical gunman, just like Aiden- _san_! You better watch out!"

"I'm almost afraid of those being in her possession," Kamo remarked from his place on a nearby table. "But as long as we point her at the enemy, she should at least be a deadly distraction." He turned to Izumi. "And you?"

"Um…this…." Izumi held up a small pill-like object.

Momo and Rukia, who were also watching, stared at it. "That looks…almost like Soul Candy," Rukia remarked.

"It's actually based on it," Kamo chuckled. "It's a Golem Pill. It makes anything you put it into a golem controlled by its owner, with beefed-up powers. A stuffed animal or full-body costume can suddenly become a powerful guardian…of course, you need something like that on hand to make full use of it. We'll need to be on the lookout for something…."

"Oh! This!" Rukia enthused. She produced, from somewhere, a small stuffed animal in rabbit form. "Behold! Chappy!"

The others stared at it. "Y-you're still carrying that around, Rukia?" Momo asked her.

"Q-quiet! I like Chappy! And rabbits!"

Izumi carefully took it from her and, with trepidation, put the pill near its unopening 'lips'…and suddenly the pill sunk into it. The eyes of the creature actually, somehow, blinked, and the creature turned to look at Izumi. In shock, Izumi dropped it, and Chappy landed easily on its legs. It seemed to be standing at something resembling attention.

"Oh! It really moves!" enthused Rukia.

"But is something like that really a guardian?" Riza scoffed, poking it with one of her guns.

The stuffed animal suddenly reached out, wrapped its stubs around Riza's arm, and actually threw her to the ground. Then, using its whole body, it put that arm in a lock, causing the girl to cry and thrash about in pain.

"S-stop!" Izumi insisted, and it did indeed as the pill suddenly popped out. She carefully picked up the pill again.

"It'll work entirely at your mental command, although it's programmed to defend itself," Kamo chuckled. "As with all of them, it's all about practice! Now…."

"These seem perfect," Miki remarked as several small camera-like robots floated around her, zipping mostly unseen through the air above the rest of the milling girls (and occasional males). "Little spy-bots, all my own…the perfect thing for a snooping politician's daughter…."

"Yes…frighteningly perfect. No-o-o-o-ow!" Kamo's speech was turned to a surprised yodel as his table was suddenly lifted into the air.

"It's a silly headband," Kaoru remarked from underneath the table as she lifted it up in one hand…and was, indeed, wearing a rather plain-looking white cloth around her forehead. "But…this works, I guess…."

Kamo glanced down around the edge at her. "Yes, indeed…that Headband of Strength opens your Gate of Strength, giving you superhuman strength and stamina. If only we had some tanks or something around here for you to pick up…anyway, seems like you like that one…."

"It looks like you're at Mahora Festival's final event again," Riza remarked to Riku. "That staff…?"

Riku looked at the staff in her hand. "Yeah," she muttered. "It feels…familiar, too…."

"But for you, Yukari- _chan_ , I heard you didn't make your contract with Kain- _sensei_ ," Izumi noted. "Who'd you contract to?"

Yukari blushed, and then hid her face behind the white mask she held in her hand, a rather standard plain white mask with the black smile and triangular black eyes on it. As she slipped her face behind the mask, she suddenly vanished.

Izumi stared at the vacant spot, confused. "Who are you talking to, Izumi?" Riza demanded of her.

Izumi continued to look confused. "I…I don't know…I guess I was imagining something…."

Yukari lowered her mask and reappeared with a rather exasperated look on her face. "Oh, come _on_ ," she sighed.

They all jumped. "Y-Yukari- _chan_! Where'd you come from?" Kaoru demanded.

"I've been here this whole time!" She glanced down at her mask. "Did this really…?"

"Oh, yes," Kamo laughed. "That's a real nice one, too…when you wear that Guze Mask, it makes you…not exist. It should do even more than that, too…we'll have to see later. Now, it seems our illustrious leader is about to make his appearance…."

Kain entered and surveyed the group milling around Kisuke's little party room, getting refreshments from tables or just talking excitedly. He smiled and called out, "Hello, _minna_ …I assume we're all doing well?"

A loud chorus of cheers greeted this assessment. Kain chuckled. "Well…here we are. Most of our current objectives are met—we're finally back together. Now we just have to look ahead to our return home…the Obsidian Star is standing in our way...but they won't stop us. Nothing will stand in our way. We're all going back…to Mahora Academy. We'll all get there together!"

Again, cheers greeted his declaration. Then, with his blessing, they returned to their party and, with the Baka Rangers in particular freed from their interrogation at Nanami's hands, they were able to add their own energy to the party. Kain watched them with a small smile but stood apart from the rest, still quietly musing over things.

"You say we're all together…but that's not entirely true," Tear said, approaching him. He turned to glance at her, and she continued, "Ayase Yue is still absent…we don't have her here with us yet…."

Kain shook his head. "No…she's not here with us, but she's not exactly absent. She's here in the city…I'm seen her, and I've spoken to her. There are still difficulties involved, but she's here…I'll make sure she's with us before we leave." He turned to Nodoka, who, because of this and other concerns of her own, had also been lounging in the background not far from Kain, and had drifted closer upon hearing Tear's comments. "I promise, Nodoka…she'll be with us in no time."

Nodoka managed a smile. "Yes…I believe you…thank you, Kain- _sensei_ …."

8-8-8

Aiden stood at the place he had come to share with Kain at the shores of the flying island, drinking a bottle of spirits. "Well…what a kid…I wonder if he'll actually pull it all off…."

He stopped and stared behind him as a glimmering figure began to form. _"Well…"_ it said, a lilting almost-human voice emerging from a small golden pseudo-form. _"Isn't this interesting? So, the legendary flying city of Orimus…the boy has arrived at an interesting place…."_

Aiden stared at it. "And who or what are you supposed to be?"

 _"Me? How rude…the gentlemen doing the asking should always introduce himself first…."_

"Really? By the sound of it, you think of yourself as a lady…and considering where you are, I'd think you'd be well aware of who you're talking to…eh, 'Golden Angel' Alysaser? I thought that you were sealed inside Mahora Academy…."

 _"Ah…and you must be Aiden Rylack, then. I'm pleased you've heard of me…and I must assume, if you know of me and my condition, that you have already been in contact with Kalan's son. Well, I am still quite bound, but thanks to that boy I've been exercising my power quite a bit recently and I've discovered…avenues of escape, as it were. Mahora is a magical place, after all, and there are a few places inside of it I can use to enhance my meager powers. Even so, this is the extent of what I can do—peeking inside this sealed-off world just to satiate my curiosity…."_

"Oh…is that so…worried about your protégé and come to check up on him?"

 _"Hardly worried. As I say…the boy simply alleviated some of my boredom this past year, and now that he's run off, I'm left bored again. Seeing him struggle is always worthwhile."_

Aiden chuckled. "Seeing him struggle, eh? Well…he's been doing his fair share of that, for sure. But he's handled it all…remarkably well, considering. I'm not sure you'll even recognize him when you see him again."

 _"Oh? I've heard some tales about you, Mage-Killer…you were quite an extremist when you were young. What have you done to that boy?"_

"Nothing he didn't ask for. As you're well aware, he's obsessed with his father…but I think you were one of the things that's inspired him to go as far as he can. If you're really bored, I'll tell you about it all…give you a leg up on the new legend. After all…right now, from what I feel, Kain and his little band of merry ladies are going to be the keys to saving the world this time…."

F I N

 _Author's Note: Hitting the Climax_

 _Well, here we are, another Act in the books! We've finished up the tournament and Kain has done his hero thing thus far._

 _Again, this finish was very much after the original Negima model. The Invincible Jack Rakan wouldn't even go down after Negi hit him with his own ultimate attack, but they were both so drained all they had left was Rakan's favorite, that unsophisticated brawl. Aiden isn't so fond of simple brutal fisticuffs himself, but it's a good finish for the fight, and Aiden saves his pride, which, honestly, he_ does _really care about. He didn't lose…he just got fought to a draw. As long as the public recognizes that officially, he's vindicated, and Kain still got everything he asked for. His declaration of Kain's parentage was a little premature—Rakan waited until the party forthcoming in Act 14 in the original—but it's one of those things where, especially in mine, there were too many clues already there. Although there are moments coming up that might be slightly more emotional if Kain (like Negi) were still in the dark, I really don't think it makes enough difference to be worth worrying about. Kain knows where he comes from now._

 _The last few Pactios with Negi's students were spread out over time, but my group is more thoughtful and insistent about them, so I decided to get them over with. Some of the items are adapted from Negima or stolen directly, like Yukari's mask, Miki's spy bots, and Riza's guns. Izumi's I came up with on the fly. Riku's I decided on a long time ago, and with no Negima equivalent or real DNAngel Artifact I could really adapt for her, I figured the magic staff, like she used in the Festival, was good enough. And for Kaoru, I was also determined on this. My most endearing images of Kaoru Konoe are her determined pursuit of Shun Ukiya while both her target and her rival are clueless…and of her superstrength. In particular, the whole reason I saw Gatekeepers was, in watching previews, I saw a girl lifting a_ tank _above her head. Just a brief scene, girl picking up a tank. Girls with superstrength lifting tanks? Yes, please. She turned out to be my favorite character anyway and even has an incarnation in another of my stories, and so one of my reasons for including her in the story at all was so that she would have this chance to finally become a magical girl and get the powers of her Gate of Strength. It was hard coming up with an appropriate item…the headband made the most sense to me overall._

 _Well…now we're at the end of it. We're moving on…next, we reach the Climax! Nothin's Gonna Stand in Our Way…Not Tonight!_


End file.
